National Film Awards 2026: Anant Nag conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Award, says, 'I grew up in an ashram..'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "National Film Awards 2026: Anant Nag conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Award, says, 'I grew up in an ashram..'")
Anant Nag conferred with National Award Photograph: (X)
To receive the honour from President Droupadi Murmu, he walked up to the stage where he was conferred with the award. As he received it, the entire audience gave him a standing ovation, celebrating his legendary journey and lasting legacy.
Veteran actor Anant Nag has been honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 for his immense contribution to the world of Indian cinema. In a career spanning more than five decades, Nag has delivered memorable performances across Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Malayalam films, earning a place as one of the most versatile actors in the country.
To receive the honour from President Droupadi Murmu, he walked up to the stage where he was conferred with the award. As he received it, the entire audience gave him a standing ovation, celebrating his legendary journey and lasting legacy.
Anant Nag conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Award, honoured with standing ovation
Nag has worked in hundreds of films and was one of the prominent faces of the parallel cinema movement in India. At the ceremony, which was hosted at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat's Narmada district, Nag made a rare public appearance.
During his speech, he mentioned that he does not attend many events. Walking up to the stage, Nag was honoured with a shawl and a certificate presented by the President. He was then invited to say a few words about his humble beginnings as an actor, as he called India his, ‘dharmbhoomi and Karnataka, ’karmabhoomi.'
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In his speech after receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke honour, Nag said, ''It's a great honour to be here with you and I'm trying to digest the majesty of this function. I have not attended many such gatherings, but I'm very happy to be with you all today. As an actor, you have seen me perform, and you have seen some of the snippets. I grew up in an ashram and a mutt in my childhood, up to the age of 12. Thereafter, I was sent to Mumbai, where I got a chance to act in a play, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the same poet of Bengal, and that's how my career started."
"This award doesn't belong to me alone. It also belongs to everyone – producers, directors, associate directors, assistant directors. The awards belong to millions of people who opened their hearts and minds to my characters over decades," he said.
"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 said.
Anant Nag career and legacy
Known and hailed for his naturalistic performances, Nag is known for his collaborations with Shyam Benegal and has given landmark movies like Ankur, Nishant, and Manthan. He made his feature film debut in 1973 with Sankalpa and went on to work in several movies such as Bayalu Daari (1976), Kanneshwara Rama (1977), Benkiya Bale (1983), Hendthige Helbedi (1989), Ganeshana Maduve (1990), Gowri Ganesha (1991), Mungaru Male (2006), Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016), Raajakumara (2017), Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu.
In 2025, Anant was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.
