Shankar Nagarakatte (9 November 1954 – 30 September 1990) was an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

-language films and television. A popular cultural icon of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, Nag is often referred to as ''Karate King.'' He directed and acted in the teleserial, ''

Malgudi Days ''Malgudi Days'' is a collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan published in 1943 by Indian Thought Publications. The book was republished outside India in 1982 by Penguin Classics. The book includes 32 stories, all set in the fictional to ...

'', based on novelist R. K. Narayan's short stories. Nag received the inaugural

IFFI Best Actor Award (Male) The IFFI Award for Best Actor (officially known as the Silver Peacock for the Best Actor Award (Male)) is an honor presented annually at the International Film Festival of India since 2010 to an actor for the best performance in a leading role ...

: Silver Peacock Award" at the

7th International Film Festival of India The 7th International Film Festival of India was held from 3–17 January 1979 in New Delhi. The festival opened with " Junoon" by Shyam Benegal in the out of Competition world premiere. The festival was the only competitive and exclusive interna ...

for his work in the film '' Ondanondu Kaladalli''. He co-wrote ''

22 June 1897 ''22 June 1897'' is a 1979 Marathi film co-written by Shankar Nag and Nachiket Patwardhan and directed by the husband and wife team of Jayoo Patwardhan and Nachiket Patwardhan. The duo are also practising architects. It is based on the true li ...

'', a National award-winning Marathi film. He is the younger brother of actor Anant Nag.

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

, the chief film critic of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' had opined that Shankar's performance in '' Ondanondu Kaladalli'' had the force and humor of the younger Toshiro Mifune.

Early career

Shankar Nagarkatte was born on 9 November 1954 in Honnavar, then a part of North Canara (now Uttara Kannada), in

Bombay State Bombay State was a large Indian state created at the time of India's Independence, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding So ...

(now in

). His parents were Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte. Born into a Konkani-speaking

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

family, his family settled in Shirali, a village near Bhatkal in

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian states and territories of India, state of Karnataka. Uttara Kannada District is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and currently holding the title of the largest district in Karnataka. It is borde ...

of Karnataka State. He had an elder sister, Shyamala, and an elder brother, actor Anant Nag. After completing formal education, Nag moved to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. There, he was attracted to Marathi theatre and immersed himself in theatrical activities. Incidentally, he met his future wife, Arundhathi during a drama rehearsal. Nag then shifted base to Karnataka. His elder brother Anant had already established himself as an actor and urged Nag to act in films. In 1978 Nag made his debut in the role of a mercenary in Girish Karnad's epic film '' Ondanondu Kaladalli,'' where he played a mercenary who earns a position in a rival army to get even with his brother, whom he considers his enemy.

Acting and directing

Following the modest success of '' Ondanondu Kaladalli'' and the critical accolades he won, Nag appeared in other films. ''

Seetharamu ''Seetharamu'' is a 1979 Indian Kannada-language film directed by V. Somashekhar. The film stars Shankar Nag, Manjula and Thoogudeepa Srinivas. The film is based on a science fiction plot of a brain transplant. The movie was remade in Telugu ...

'', '' Auto Raja'' and

Preethi Madu Thamashe Nodu ''Preethi Madu Thamashe Nodu'' (''Make Love and Look Funny'') is a 1979 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film, directed by C. V. Rajendran and produced by Dwarakish. The film stars Srinath, Shankar Nag, Dwarakish and Manjula and Padma ...

'' were amongst his early movies. He eventually became known for his action films, and while he had never undergone any martial arts training, he earned the nickname "Karate King".'' He also made his directorial debut with '' Minchina Ota'', one of the earliest heist movie in Kannada cinema. This won him seven state awards, including that for best film. '' Janma Janmada Anubandha'' and '' Geetha'' followed. There was no looking back after that. Some of his most popular commercial movies as an actor include ''

Nyaya Ellide ''Nyaya Ellide'' () is an Indian Kannada-language film which was released on 3 September 1982. It is a remake of the Tamil movie ''Sattam Oru Iruttarai'', which was directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar, who also directed the Kannada version of the f ...

'', '' Nyaya Gedditu'',''

Gedda Maga Gedda is a Swedish family with Gude Axelsen Giedde (1510-1590) as earliest attested primogenitor. Georg Gedda was ennobled (n:o 2168) by King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden in 1797. Speculations of whether Gude Axelsen Giedde was the great-grand ...

'', ''

Sangliyana ''Sangliana'' is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed, co-produced and written by P. Nanjundappa. It is loosely inspired by the life story of the cop-turned-politician H. T. Sangliana. The film stars Shankar Nag, Bhavya an ...

'' and ''

S. P. Sangliyana Part 2 ''S. P. Sangliyana'' is a 1990 Kannada action drama film, directed and written by P. Nanjundappa. It is a sequel to the 1988 film ''Sangliyana''. The film stars Shankar Nag, Bhavya and Shivaranjani in the lead roles. The film was produced under ...

'' and '' C.B.I. Shankar''. He formed a popular pair with top actress ''

Bhavya Bhavya is an Indian actress. She has acted in several Kannada and a few Tamil and Telugu movies. She was a top heroine of Kannada cinema during 1985–1992. She switched over to key supporting roles post 2000. She is settled in Mumbai, India ...

'' who acted with him in 11 films. His directorial ventures include '' Accident'', which won many state and national awards, '' Ondu Muttina Kathe'', which was loosely based on

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

's novel '' The Pearl''), ''

Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige ''Nodi Swamy Navirodu Heege'' ( kn, ನೋಡಿ ಸ್ವಾಮಿ ನಾವಿರೋದು ಹೀಗೆ ; English : Look Sir, this is the way we are) was a 1983 Indian Kannada language film directed by and starring Shankar Nag. It also star ...

'', ''

Lalach ''Laalach'' is 1983 Indian Hindi film directed by Shankar Nag starring Vinod Mehra, Bindiya Goswami, Ranjeet, Pran, Kajal Kiran and Anant Nag in lead roles. The film is a remake of director's own 1980 Kannada movie '' Minchina Ota''. Cast * Vi ...

'' and ''Hosa Theerpu'', which was a remake of '' Dushman''.

Television and theatre

In 1987, Nag directed the

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...

series ''

'', which was based on a collection of short stories by R.K. Narayan. The series featured Vishnuvardhan and Anant Nag, with music by was composed by

L. Vaidyanathan Lakshminarayana Vaidyanathan ( ta, லக்ஷ்மிநாராயண வைத்தியநாதன்; kn, ಎಲ್.ವೈದ್ಯನಾಥನ್; 9 April 1942 – 19 May 2007) was an acclaimed musicologist, music director and compo ...

. The series was shot in Agumbe,

Shimoga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...

district, Karnataka. Nag went to direct another teleserial, ''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. He anchored the ''Parichaya'' program on DD1-Kannada, in its starting days. Nag retained an interest in theatre. His brother Anant Nag and he founded Sanket, an amateur theatre group, which still produces plays. His first directorial effort in Kannada theatre was ''Anju Mallige'' by Girish Karnad. He continued with productions like ''Barrister'', ''Sandhya Chhaya''. He was later joined by T. N. Narasimhan, who wrote and co-directed ''Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige'' which had, apart from himself, his wife Arundhati Nag and

Ramesh Bhat Ramesh Bhat is a multiple-award–winning Indian actor. He has worked predominantly in Kannada films and television serials. Early life Ramesh Bhat was born in Kundapur. He completed his primary education at Manki and portrayed national leader ...

in the cast.

Social work

Shankar Nag, was multi-faceted person, involved in various aspects of Karnataka's Infrastructure. He is credited with pioneering efforts in initiating * Rope Way/Cable Car to heighten the tourist experience at Nandi Hills * Metro Train for

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

* Low Cost Houses that could be built in 8 days * Club for Amusement * Theater for performing Arts, including Drama

Death

Nag died in a car collision at Anagodu village on the outskirts of

Davanagere Davanagere is a city in the centre of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the seventh largest city in the state, and the administrative headquarters of eponymous Davangere district. Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known ...

town on 30 September 1990 during the pre-production work for his film ''Jokumaraswamy''. His last film as an actor, ''Sundarakanda'', was released a few days after his death. For ''Sundarakanda'', Nag's voice was dubbed by Murali. ''Nigooda Rahasya'', one of his last films also had his brother, Anant Nag, complete the voice dubbing.

Filmography

Television

Awards

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

* Best Second Film (1979–80) along with Anant Nag for '' Minchina Ota'' * Best Screenplay (1979–80) along with Mariyam Jetpurwala for '' Minchina Ota'' * Best First Film (1984–85) for '' Accident'' * Best Director (1984–85) for '' Accident''

Filmfare Awards South

* Best Director (1980) for Minchina Ota * Best Film (1984) for Accident (1985 film),

IFFI Award for Best Actor

* Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (1979) for '' Ondanondu Kaladalli''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nag, Shankar 1954 births 1990 deaths Indian male film actors Male actors in Kannada cinema Male actors in Marathi cinema Kannada film directors Kannada film producers Road incident deaths in India People from Uttara Kannada IFFI Best Actor (Male) winners Filmfare Awards South winners Kannada male actors 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian film directors Male actors from Karnataka Male actors in Hindi television Indian male television actors Film producers from Karnataka Film directors from Karnataka 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from Karnataka Kannada screenwriters Directors who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award 20th-century Indian screenwriters