Who Is Anant Nag? Meet the Sandalwood Icon Named 2024 Dadasaheb Phalke Award Recipient

Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag has been named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, India’s highest honour in cinema. The Government of India announced the recognition on September 16, 2026, honouring his distinguished career spanning over five decades and more than 300 films across multiple languages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the 78-year-old actor’s versatility, noting that he has brought rare depth and authenticity to Indian cinema. Kannada Cinema Legend Anant Nag To Be Conferred With Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024.

Anant Nag to Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's Highest Cinematic Honour

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, administered annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, acknowledges individuals who have made monumental contributions to the growth and development of Indian cinema.  Nag will officially receive the prestigious accolade on September 22, 2026, at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Kevadia, Gujarat.

PM Modi Congratulates Anant Nag on Being Conferred With Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The award, which features a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of INR 10 lakh, comes a year after Nag was conferred with the Padma Bhushan in 2025.

Who is Anant Nag?

Born Anant Nagarkatte on September 4, 1948, in Karnataka, Nag spent his early years in his hometown before moving to Mumbai for his higher education. During his time in Mumbai, he developed a passion for theatre and performed extensively in Kannada, Konkani, and Marathi stage productions, building a solid artistic foundation before transitioning to full-length feature films.

Nag entered mainstream cinema in 1973 with the Kannada film Sankalpa. The very next year, director Shyam Benegal cast him in Ankur (1974), marking Nag's Hindi cinema debut and establishing his footprint in India's parallel cinema movement.

Five-Decade Career and Multi-Industry Success

Across a career of more than 50 years, Nag has built an expansive filmography covering over 300 films, with more than 250 of them in Kannada. Beyond Kannada cinema, he has worked across Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and English film projects.  His prominent work in parallel cinema during the 1970s includes acclaimed films such as Nishant (1975), Bhumika (1977), and Kondura (1978).

Simultaneously, Nag became one of commercial Kannada cinema's biggest stars, forming an enduring on-screen partnership with actress Lakshmi that spanned over 25 films.  In addition to film, Nag gained widespread nationwide fame through television.

He starred in the iconic Doordarshan adaptation of RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days, directed by his late brother Shankar Nag. His portrayal of various characters in the series brought his talent to households across the country.

Nag's public profile also extended to politics, where he served as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council and Assembly, holding office as Minister of State for Bangalore City Development in the late 1990s. In his personal life, Nag married actress Gayatri in 1987. Shiva Rajkumar Clarifies ‘Hindi National Language’ Comment After Backlash.

Modern Resurgence and Pan-Indian Fame with KGF

Nag's career saw a prominent resurgence with modern audiences through a series of critically acclaimed roles in the 2010s and 2020s. His performance as a father suffering from Alzheimer's disease in Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016) won widespread acclaim.  He achieved renewed pan-Indian fame playing the veteran journalist and narrator Anand Ingalagi in Prashanth Neel's blockbuster KGF: Chapter 1 (2018). His commanding presence and deep, authoritative narration helped introduce his work to a whole new generation of moviegoers across India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2026 10:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).