Who is Anant Nag? Kannada actor to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He shares how PM Modi 'removed nepotism' and changed award selection system

Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag has been selected for the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, recognising his contribution to Indian cinema and his five-decade career. The announcement was made by the Press Information Bureau on September 16. The award is the highest honour given by the Government of India for contribution to Indian cinema.

The 78-year-old actor, who has worked in more than 300 films across several Indian languages, has dedicated the honour to the people of Karnataka. Hours after the announcement, Nag also spoke about the process of selecting recipients for major film honours. In a recent interaction, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with changing the award system.

Anant Nag says he did not expect the Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Anant Nag said he had not expected to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and was still coming to terms with the announcement. The veteran actor, who has spent more than five decades in cinema, said the recognition came as a surprise to him.


The actor also dedicated the honour to Karnataka and its people. According to PTI, Nag thanked Prime Minister Modi and the country for giving him the opportunity to build a long career in cinema.




Prime Minister Modi also congratulated Nag on the honour. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Modi praised the actor's versatility and his work across several decades, particularly in Kannada cinema.

He further wrote, "For several decades, his effortless performances, remarkable versatility and brilliance have left a very strong mark on Indian cinema, particularly Kannada cinema. In whichever role he has played, he brought rare depth and authenticity. This is indeed a richly deserved honour for a truly distinguished artist.”

What did Anant Nag say about PM Modi and the award system?

Speaking to PTI after the announcement, Anant Nag discussed how he believed the selection process for major awards had changed. He said, "It was a very special category, you know; it was given nepotism and favouritism, and everything was there in this award-giving, as well. But Modi changed it. Modi was the only person who asked people to please recommend the name they had in their mind. That was the first time he brought it out into the public."

Nag credited Modi with changing the process by encouraging people to publicly recommend names for awards. He specifically referred to the public recommendation system associated with the Padma Awards and said that Kannadigas had recommended his name. His comments were his own assessment of how the award system had changed, rather than an independent finding about past selection processes.

The actor's comments came shortly after the government announced that he would receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024. According to the PIB announcement, the selection was made on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee.

Who is Anant Nag? From films to Malgudi Days

Born Anant Nagarkatte on September 4, 1948, Anant Nag has built a career spanning more than 50 years. He has appeared in over 300 films, with more than 250 of them being in Kannada. His filmography also includes Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam and English films.



Nag became known for his work in both parallel and mainstream cinema. Some of his notable films include Ankur, Nishant, Bhumika, Bayalu Daari, Kanneshwara Rama, Minchina Ota and Ganeshana Maduve. His career also extended beyond cinema, with one of his best-known television appearances coming in Malgudi Days, the popular Doordarshan series based on the works of writer RK Narayan.

Over the years, Nag has received several honours for his work. He has won five Karnataka State Film Awards and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2025.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award will add another major national honour to his career. The award will be presented at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on September 22, 2026, in Kevadia, Gujarat. Nag has not yet confirmed whether he will attend the ceremony, although he has indicated that he would go if asked to personally receive the honour.