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: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, Nag is often referred to as ''Karate King.'' He directed and acted in the teleserial, '' Malgudi Days'', based on novelist

R. K. Narayan Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mul ...

's short stories. Nag received the inaugural IFFI Best Actor Award (Male): Silver Peacock Award" at the 7th International Film Festival of India for his work in the film ''

Ondanondu Kaladalli ''Ondanondu Kaladalli'' () is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language epic film co-written and directed by Girish Karnad with soundtrack by Bhaskar Chandavarkar, starring Shankar Nag and Akshatha Rao in their debut. Through this movie, Kavita Krishnamur ...

''. He co-wrote '' 22 June 1897'', a

National award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...

-winning

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

film. He is the younger brother of actor

Anant Nag Dr Anant Nagarkatte (born 4 September 1948) is an Indian actor whose predominant contribution has been in Kannada cinema. He has acted in over 300 films which include over 200 Kannada films as well as Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and En ...

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 ''

'' had the force and humor of the younger

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and '' ...

Early career

Shankar Nagarkatte was born on 9 November 1954 in

Honnavar Honnavar is a town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. History Honnavar is a port town in Coastal Karnataka known for its beautiful landscapes and rich history. The port hosted foreign traders from the Arab world, as well as later ...

, then a part of

North Canara Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian 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 bordered by the state of Goa and Bela ...

(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 Sou ...

(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 (guru ...

family, his family settled in Shirali, a village near

Bhatkal Bhatkal, is a coastal town in the Uttara Kannada District of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bhatkal lies on National Highway 66 (India), National Highway 66, which runs between Mumbai and Kanyakumari, and has Bhatkal railway station which is ...

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian 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 bordered by the state of Goa and Bela ...

of Karnataka State. He had an elder sister, Shyamala, and an elder brother, actor

. After completing formal education, Nag moved to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. 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 Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

's epic film ''

,'' 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 ''

'' 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 Padmapr ...

'' 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 ''Janma Janmada Anubandha'' is a 1980 Indian Kannada-language thriller drama film directed, co-produced and scripted by Shankar Nag. The film has an ensemble cast including Anant Nag, Shankar Nag, Jayanthi, Jayamala and Manjula. Cast * A ...

'' 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'', ''

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'' and ''

C.B.I. Shankar ''C.B.I. Shankar'' is a 1989 Indian Kannada language drama film directed by P. Nanjundappa. It stars Shankar Nag in the titular role as Shankar, an officer with the CBI, who investigates a murder case closed down by the local police. The suppor ...

''. 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 An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not directly caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that nobody should be blamed, but the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Most researche ...

'', 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 stars ...

'', '' Lalach'' 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 bro ...

series '' Malgudi Days'', which was based on a collection of short stories by R.K. Narayan. The series featured Vishnuvardhan and

, 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 Agumbe is a village situated in the Thirthahalli taluka of Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. It is nestled in the thickly forested Malenadu region of the Western Ghats mountain range. Owing to its high rainfall, it has received the epithet ...

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 Arundhati Nag (née Rao; born 1955/1956) is an Indian actress. She has been involved with multilingual Theatre in India, for over 25 years, first in Mumbai where she got involved with Indian People's Theatre Association ( IPTA), and did various ...

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 * 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,

, complete the voice dubbing.

Filmography

Television

Awards

Karnataka State Film Awards

* Best Second Film (1979–80) along with

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

'' * Best Director (1984–85) for ''

Filmfare Awards South

* Best Director (1980) for Minchina Ota * Best Film (1984) for

(1985 film),

IFFI Award for Best Actor

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

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