📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Film Companion South
Entertainment
Veteran Actor Anant Nag Honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award
✍️ ThePrint
🗓 18 Sep 2026, 04:33 AM
👁 6
Renowned Kannada‑Hindi film star Anant Nag has been named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, recognising his five‑decade career from Shyam Benegal’s Ankur to the TV classic Malgudi Days.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that veteran actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, at the upcoming ceremony presided over by the President of India. The award, instituted in 1969, recognises lifetime contribution to the growth and development of Indian film.
Nag’s cinematic journey began with Shyam Benegal’s critically acclaimed film Ankur (1974), where his nuanced performance earned immediate attention. Over the next five decades he became a staple of both Kannada and Hindi screens, starring in classics such as Chandanada Gombe, Katha Sangama and the beloved television series Malgudi Days, which introduced him to a generation of viewers across the country.
His body of work, noted for its versatility and cultural depth, has been cited as a bridge between regional cinema and the national mainstream. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award places him alongside legends like Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeshkar and Amitabh Bachchan, underscoring the growing recognition of South Indian artists in the country’s highest film honour.
The award ceremony is scheduled for later this year, where Nag will join past laureates on the dais, marking a historic moment for Kannada cinema and reaffirming his status as one of India’s most respected actors.
Nag’s cinematic journey began with Shyam Benegal’s critically acclaimed film Ankur (1974), where his nuanced performance earned immediate attention. Over the next five decades he became a staple of both Kannada and Hindi screens, starring in classics such as Chandanada Gombe, Katha Sangama and the beloved television series Malgudi Days, which introduced him to a generation of viewers across the country.
His body of work, noted for its versatility and cultural depth, has been cited as a bridge between regional cinema and the national mainstream. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award places him alongside legends like Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeshkar and Amitabh Bachchan, underscoring the growing recognition of South Indian artists in the country’s highest film honour.
The award ceremony is scheduled for later this year, where Nag will join past laureates on the dais, marking a historic moment for Kannada cinema and reaffirming his status as one of India’s most respected actors.