Shankar Nag

Biography:  Shankar Nagarkatte , popularly known as Shankar Nag , was a popular actor and director of Kannada cinema. He also directed and acted in the teleserial "Malgudi Days," based on celebrated novelist R.K. Narayan's short stories. Besides these, he was actively involved in Kannada theatre activities. He co-wrote "22 June 1897," an Indian National Award-winning Marathi film. Early career Shankar Nagarkatte was born on November 9, 1954, in Mallapur village, near Honnavar, Karnataka, to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family. His elder brother is the popular Kannada actor Anant Nag. Apart from his mother tongue, Konkani, Shankar was also fluent in Marathi and, of course, Kannada. After completing his formal education, Shankar moved to Mumbai. In Mumbai, he was attracted to Marathi theatre and immersed himself in theatrical activities. Incidentally, he met his future wife, Arundhathi, during a drama rehearsal. Shankar Nag then shifted his base to Karnataka. His elder brother, Anant Nag, had already established himself as an actor and urged Shankar to act in films. He was offered the role of a mercenary by Girish Karnad in the epic movie Ondanondu Kaladalli, which was loosely based on Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, Seven Samurai. His debut film as an actor fetched him a national award at the Delhi International Film Festival. Thus began his film career, in which he acted in some 90 Kannada movies as a leading man over a 12-year period (from 1978 to 1990), in addition to co-producing (with actor-brother Anant Nag) and directing films such as "Minchina Ota" (a rare example of a heist movie in Kannada), "Janma Janmada Anubandha" and "Geetha" (both of which had music by South Indian maestro Later Days Commercial film producers took notice of Shankar Nag, and he began acting in typical masala movies. Shankar was an unconventional hero with an unshaven face, a distinct swagger, dark eyes, and a rough voice. Although he had never undergone any martial arts training, he earned the sobriquet "Karate King." His popular films include Auto Raja, Geeta, S.P. Sangliana, and Minchina Ota. He had also identified himself with the Janata Party in the 1980s. Directorial Debut Shankar began his directing career with Minchina Ota. This won him seven state awards, including the best film. And then came a series of films directed by him. Janma Janmada Anubandha, Geetha, Accident (1985 film) (which won many state and national awards), and Ondu Muttina Kathe (with Dr. Rajkumar in the lead) Malgudi days Shankar did not limit his creativity to cinema. He was equally immersed in theatre and television. Malgudi Days is the best example of Shankar's oeuvre on television. Prior to globalization, Doordarshan was the only broadcaster in India. In addition to program production, Doordarshan used to invite private producers to produce television serials. Shankar accepted the offer and directed Malgudi Days, based on the 1987 collection of short stories by R.K. Narayan, under the banner of Padam Rag Films. Well-known actors Vishnuvardhan and Anant Nag appeared in the serial. Master Manjunath, who essayed the role of impish Swami, became a household name. The music, accompanied by the nasal twang "Tananaa tana na naa," was composed by L. Vaidyanathan. The television series was shot in Agumbe, Shimoga district, Karnataka. Shankar went on to direct another teleserial, titled Swami, in the same year. Malgudi Days has been rated as one of the finest serials ever to be made in the history of Indian television. It is noteworthy that he was anchoring the Parichaya programme on DD1-Kannada in its early days. Though a busy star in his own right, Shankar always had time for the theater. That was almost his second nature. In fact, he brought a kind of commercial viability to the Kannada Amateur Theatre. He and his wife founded SANKET, an amateur theatre group that still produces plays. Girish Karnad's Anju Mallige was his first Kannada directorial effort. He continued with productions like Barrister and Sandhya Chhaya. T N Narasimhan eventually joined him here after writing and co-directing Nodi Swami Navirodhu Heege, starring his wife Arundhati Nag and Ramesh Bhat.The two directed Aata Bombat. Shankar's last production was Naaga Mandala, a play by Girish Karnad. He co-directed with Surendra Nath. Death Shankar Nag died in a car crash at Anagodu village on the outskirts of Davanagere town on the morning of September 30, 1990, while proceeding to Dharwad with his wife Arundhati Nag and daughter Kavya for the shooting of his film Jokumaraswamy. After his death, the Kannada movie industry really slid into an abyss of mediocrity. Shankar Nag left many unfinished projects, like the Country Club at his farm near Bangalore, a ropeway to Nandi Hills, and a low-cost prefab housing scheme. An admirer of Ramakrishna Hegde, he was not much into active politics. However, he had a great vision for Bangalore. Way back in 1990, before his untimely death, he proposed a metro for Bangalore city, based on what he had seen in London. He started the first electronic recording studio in Karnataka, Sanket Electronics.