Veteran actor Anant Nag receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award to standing ovation
Veteran actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 from President Droupadi Murmu at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday, September 22. The honour recognises Nag’s contribution to Indian cinema over a career spanning more than seven decades. He is the second Kannada actor to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, after Dr Rajkumar was honoured in 1995.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour conferred by the Government of India for contribution to Indian cinema. Instituted in 1969, it commemorates filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke, who directed Raja Harishchandra, India’s first full-length feature film. Recipients are recognised for their contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
The veteran, in his speech said, "I am trying to digest the majesty of this function. I am very happy to be with you all today here. As an actor, you have seen me perform. You have seen some of the snippets. I grew up in an aashram - my childhood up to 12 years. In Mumbai, I got a chance to act in a play."
He went on to talk about being Karnataka's brand ambassador as an actor and said that it was in Karnataka that he felt most loved and respected despite working across languages.
While dedicating his award to his industry colleagues, Nag added, "This award doesn't belong to me alone. It also belongs to everyone – producers, directors, associate directors, assistance directors. The awards belongs to millions of people who opened their hearts and minds to my characters over decades."
"Before I conclude, I want to quote Sri Adishankracharya - 'Vande Mataram.' This great country is my janmabhoomi, Karnataka is my karmabhoomi. Bharat is also my dharmbhoomi," he concluded.
Born on September 4, 1948, Nag began his acting career in the early 1970s after developing an interest in theatre in Mumbai. He made his feature-film debut in 1973 with the Kannada film Sankalpa and also appeared in Shyam Benegal’s Ankur, which became an important film of India’s parallel cinema movement. His association with Benegal continued with films including Manthan and Bhumika.
Nag’s career subsequently moved between different strands of Indian cinema. While his early work included films associated with the parallel cinema movement, he also became one of the familiar leading men of Kannada commercial cinema. Films such as Bayalu Daari, Kanneshwara Rama, Naa Ninna Bidalaare, Chandanada Gombe and Benkiya Bale established him as a major presence in the industry. He worked across Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and English cinema, with more than 300 films to his credit.
Television also played an important role in expanding Nag’s audience beyond Kannada cinema. He appeared in Malgudi Days, the Doordarshan adaptation of RK Narayan’s stories directed by his younger brother Shankar Nag. The series was broadcast in several Indian languages and introduced his work to viewers who may not have followed his Kannada films.
His filmography in the later decades of his career included both mainstream productions and films built around character-driven stories. He appeared in Mungaru Male, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, Raajakumara and the KGF films. His appearance as Anand Ingalagi in KGF: Chapter 1 and KGF: Chapter 2 brought him to a new generation of viewers, with the character serving as the narrator of the story.
Nag has also accumulated several honours during his career. He has won Filmfare Awards South and Karnataka State Film Awards for Best Actor, besides receiving the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the Karnataka State Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2025, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, making the Dadasaheb Phalke Award another major national recognition to come late in a career that has moved across cinema, television and theatre.
His latest National Award also places Kannada cinema prominently in this year’s ceremony. Amaran director Rajkumar Periasamy won Best Direction, while Mammootty and Kartik Aaryan shared Best Actor for Bramayugam and Chandu Champion, respectively. Article 370 won Best Feature Film, with Yami Gautam receiving Best Actress for the film, while Kalki 2898 AD was recognised as Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony itself marks a departure from the event’s traditional Delhi venue. Ekta Nagar in Gujarat is hosting the ceremony for the first time outside New Delhi, with President Murmu presenting the honours to the winners of films certified during 2024. A total of 92 winners are being recognised across feature films, non-feature films and writing on cinema.
For Anant Nag, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award brings national recognition to a body of work that has crossed the usual divisions between mainstream and parallel cinema. From Ankur and Malgudi Days to KGF and his later Kannada films, his career has extended across generations of Indian audiences and several forms of screen storytelling.- EndsPublished By: Anurag BohraPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 17:46 ISTRead more | Anant Nag on being an 'accidental actor', from theatre to Dadasaheb Phalke Award
