Senior actor Anant Nag on Sunday said he is ready to act in Tulu, Konkani and Kodava films if offered an intense role.
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He was participating in a dialogue with senior journalists at ‘Ananta Abhinandane’, a programme to celebrate the actor’s 75th birthday organised by the felicitation committee and Kudla Samskruthika Pratishthana here.
Actor Ananth Nag and his wife Gayatri Ananth Nag take part in a procession in Mangaluru on Sunday, September 3, 2023. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Answering a question by film critic K. Sadashiva Shenoy during the interaction as part of ‘Ananta Abhinandana’ to celebrate actor’s 75th birthday, Mr. Anant Nag said: “I do not have any prejudice against acting in Tulu, Konkani and Kodava films. If given an intense character, I will definitely act in these films,” he said and added, “I acted in the Tulu movie English (of K. Sooraj Shetty released in March 2021) but the role was very small.”
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The Kannada actor said he got promoted to films after acting in several plays, including plays in Konkani. “As an actor, I have to entertain people. People come to watch movies, keeping aside their problems. If there are roles to entertain people, I am ready to do it in any language,” he said. Konkani is spoken differently along the coast. “To do a Konkani film that caters to a wider audience is a challenging and also expensive. There is need for a good producer (for Konkani film),” he said.
The actor, who recalled his long association with Coastal Karnataka and Kasaragod where he spent his childhood, said it was a matter of pride and also challenging to act in Rishab Shetty’s film Sarakari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai. “For those coming from a theatre background, enacting a long script is not difficult,” he said in reference to the 16-minute long court scene in the film and commended the roles played Chandrahas Ullal (as judge) and Shashiraj Kavoor (as prosecutor) in that scene.
His role in the upcoming Kannada film Abracadabra produced by Rakshit Shetty is also challenging. His stint in theatre, the actor said, had helped him in giving life to characters.
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For actors there is no difference in acting in a play, cinema or television serial. Stating that he has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam and other language films as an ambassador of Kannada cinema, the senior actor said he had ensured to enact roles in a way to give justice to the language.
Mr. Nag confided that he did not take dancing in films seriously as he grew with perception that dancing is meant only for women. During the interaction, the senior actor gave a glimpse of his singing talent by singing “Bhagyada Lakshmi Baaramma” and carnatic music composition “ Hemadrisute paahimaam...”
Mr. Nag’s wife Gayatri, daughter Aditi Nag, son in law Vivek, and actors Ganesh Mangaluru, Laxman Kumar Malluru, Kasaragod Chinna and Navin D. Padil, were among those who participated in the interaction.
Mr. Nag was honoured at the programme held jointly by Kudula Samkrutika Prathistana and Anant Nag @75 Abinandana Samiti.