Anant Nagarkatte, widely known as Anant Nag, is a veteran Indian actor with a career spanning over five decades. He was born on September 4, 1948, in Shirali, Karnataka. Nag began his artistic journey in Mumbai's theatre scene, acting in Konkani, Kannada, Marathi, and Hindi plays for about five years, including collaborations with Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad, and Amol Palekar. He made his feature film debut in the 1973 Kannada film 'Sankalpa', which won seven state awards. His talent quickly led him to become a prominent figure in India's parallel cinema movement of the 1970s and 80s, starring in six films directed by Shyam Benegal, including 'Ankur' (1974) and 'Manthan' (1976). Nag's entry into Kannada cinema was marked by G. V. Iyer's 'Hamsageethe' (1975). He has acted in over 300 films, with more than 250 in Kannada, and others in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, and English. His commercially successful Kannada films include 'Bayalu Daari', 'Naa Ninna Bidalaare', 'Ganeshana Maduve', 'Mungaru Male', 'Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu' (where his portrayal of an Alzheimer's patient received critical acclaim), 'Raajakumara', and 'K.G.F: Chapter 1'. He also gained widespread recognition for his role in 'Malgudi Days', a popular Doordarshan television series directed by his younger brother, Shankar Nag. Beyond acting, Anant Nag had a significant stint in politics, serving as an MLC (1988-1994) and an MLA (1994-1999) from Malleshwaram constituency, and as a Minister of State for Bangalore Urban Development in the J. H. Patel government. He later stepped away from active politics, realizing his true calling was acting. He is a recipient of six Filmfare Awards South and five Karnataka State Film Awards, and is slated to receive the Padma Bhushan in 2025 for his contributions to Art.