Kannada Actor Anant Nag to Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award on September 22

Veteran actor Anant Nag has been selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, recognising his contribution to Indian cinema and a remarkable career spanning more than five decades.

The announcement was made by the Press Information Bureau on Wednesday. Nag will receive the honour at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the veteran actor, praising his versatility and the depth and authenticity he brought to his performances, particularly in Kannada cinema.

Born Anant Nagarkatte on September 4, 1948, Nag began his artistic journey in theatre before entering films. He made his Kannada film debut with Sankalpa in 1973 and soon became associated with India's parallel cinema movement through Shyam Benegal's Ankur. He went on to work in films such as Nishant, Manthan, Bhumika and Kondura, establishing himself as an actor capable of handling both intense dramatic roles and mainstream cinema.

His journey in Kannada cinema included acclaimed performances as well as popular films. Over the decades, he worked across Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam and English cinema, building a filmography of more than 300 films, including over 250 Kannada films. He also became a familiar television face through the popular Doordarshan series Malgudi Days.

For a younger generation of moviegoers, Nag became particularly memorable as Anand Ingalagi in K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018). Playing the journalist and author whose account forms the backbone of the film’s narrative, Nag brought gravitas to the character and became an important part of the movie’s storytelling. His character delivered the memorable line, “Powerful people come from powerful places,” while the expanded version of the dialogue “History was wrong. Powerful people make places powerful” appears in K.G.F: Chapter 2 through the character Vijayendra Ingalagi.

Nag continued to remain active in cinema in his later years, appearing in films including Gaalipata 2, Vijayanand and Mandala: The UFO Incident. His career has also earned him five Karnataka State Film Awards, while the Government of India conferred the Padma Bhushan on him in 2025.

Beyond his acting career, Nag has also had a stint in public life. Yet it is his enduring contribution to Indian cinema moving seamlessly between theatre, parallel cinema, mainstream Kannada films, television and contemporary pan-Indian cinema that has defined his five-decade journey.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award now adds one of the country's highest cinematic honours to a career that has connected several generations of Indian audiences.