Anant Nag (Kannada:ಅನಂತನಾಗ್) (Born 1948)is an actor and politician from Karnataka, India. He is considered to be one of the all time greatest actors in Kannada film industry with varse number of commercially successful movies. As a result, he is popularly known as an actor with no-failures by the critics. In addition to Kannada movies, he has acted in Marathi, Malayalam and Hindi movies. He has also acted in Malgudi Days, directed by his younger brother Shankar Nag based on the stories by R.K.Narayan. His work was much appreciated by critics at that time. He is fluent in Kannada, Konkani, Marati, Hindi and with a good understanding of Telugu and Malayalam. The versatile natural acting coupled with the style of speaking (accent of fluent kannada with a tint of coastal touch) made him one of the most successful actors in Kannada cinema. Ananth Nag along with fellow South Indian popular actress Lakshmi, have been known as all time greatest pairs in Kannada movies. Although he began his career as an actor in Art movies, became most popular in Comedy movies. With greatest hits in films like Ganeshana maduve, Gauri ganesha, Udbava, Undoohoda Konduhoda, Beladingala baale, Hasyaratna Ramakrishna, Yareegoo Helbedi, he has been noted for his natural acting skills in comedy movies. Recently, he has been nominated for the recipient of Karnataka Rajyothsava Awards for 2007 in the film catergory along with Parvathamma Rajkumar, by Karnataka Government. He turned later into a politician, but continuing acting in supporting roles. Although he is one of the most inflencial man both from the point of film and politicial, he is regarded as most simple and polite personality. He hardly appears in front of media or had involved in any kind of controversies in his film and political career, which made him one of the most respectable person in real life.
Anant Nag was born to Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte. He had two wives his early education under the aegis of Ananda Ashrama in Dakshina Kannada district and Chitrapura matha in Uttara Kannada. His mother tongue is Konkani and belongs to Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin (CSB) community. He was sent to Mumbai for onward education and got involved with amateur Marathi theatre activities for 8 years.
He started out doing amateur theatre in Marathi and Kannada. Shyam Benegal introduced him into Hindi cinema, in his 1973 film Ankur. Anant Nag has acted in lot of Shyam Benegal's movies after that. Well-known for his mainstream Kannada films, Nag is also active in alternative Indian cinema.
Marathi Film Director Amol Palekar finds Nag's sensitive depiction of the King's dilemmas to have greatly enhanced the multi-faceted complexities of the film. The character portrayed by Nag has depth and dimension, powerfully drawing you into the core of the story that is *Anaahat. His entry into Kannada films was through legendary G. V. Iyer's Hamsa Geethe. Hamsa Geethe is one of the most critically acclaimed of all his movies which is about trysts of a learner whose greatest search is finding the right Guru.
He contested a very fierce assembly election from Janata Dal (Secular) where he was pitched against the then Chief minister of Karnataka,S. M. Krishna from Indian National Congress, alongside fellow actor Mukhyamantri Chandru from Bharatiya Janata Party in the Chamrajpet constituency in Bangalore in 2004. However, S.M.Krishna won the elections and soon became the governor of Maharashtra.
Anant Nag can be placed in the category of New India Cinema Actors. Proficient in delineating complex psychological characters, Anant Nag has the image of the boy-next-door. His persona compliments it and he has done justice to it by taking on and doing a good job of presenting characters right out of reality.
