Mumbai: Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag has been named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024 for his contribution to Indian cinema. He will receive the prestigious honor on September 22 at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony.
Following the announcement on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared a congratulatory Tweet for him.
Refreshing your memory, Anant Nag was also awarded the Padma Bhushan last year by President Droupadi Murmu.
The veteran actor expressed his excitement about his latest achievement during an exclusive conversation with IANS.
He said, ”Well, just last year I was a happy recipient of Padma Bhushan from the hands of the President, and I was happy to meet the Prime Minister, and now this has come, and the Prime Minister has tweeted. I was very happy because of that. I’m very grateful and thankful to him.”
He also went on to thank the people of Karnataka for all the love and support throughout the years.
“At the same time, all this is because of the people of Karnataka. You know, they have blessed me, blessed my films, supported me for the last fifty years. And in this, in particular, the journalists of Karnataka, right from those fifty years, of all newspapers, have been very, very helpful, and then subsequently the TV channels and all. And of course, the people at large. So I’m very grateful, and I kind of dedicate this. This too, last year I had dedicated Padma Bhushan to the people of Karnataka. This year I have got another opportunity to, you know, again dedicate it to the people of Karnataka and now India because this is for the acting award. Padma Bhushan is to various people, but the Phalke Award in particular is for, you know, for the purpose of acting and such. And then the Prime Minister himself has tweeted such a beautiful tweet it is,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Anant Nag, saying, “Congratulations to the legendary Anant Nag Ji on being conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. 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 (sic).”
(IANS)
