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{{BLP sources|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Shankar Nag
| name = Shankar Nag
Line 9: Line 8:
| birth_place = Mallapur Village, [[Honavar]] ([[North Canara]]), [[Karnataka]]
| birth_place = Mallapur Village, [[Honavar]] ([[North Canara]]), [[Karnataka]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1990|9|30|1954|11|9|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1990|9|30|1954|11|9|mf=y}}
| death_place = Near Anagod [[Davanagere]], [[Karnataka]]
| death_place = Near anagod [[davanagere]], [[Karnataka]]
| height = 5'11"
| height = 5'11"
| yearsactive = 1977 to 1990
| yearsactive = 1977 to 1990
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}}
}}


'''Shankar Nagarkatte''' (9 November 1954 - 30 September 1990), known as '''Shankar Nag''', was an actor and director of [[Cinema of Karnataka|Kannada cinema]]. He also directed and acted in the teleserial, ''[[Malgudi Days (TV series)|Malgudi Days]]'', based on celebrated novelist [[R.K.Narayan]]'s short stories. Besides these, he was actively involved in Kannada theater activities. He co-wrote ''[[22 June 1897]]'', an [[India]]n national award-winning [[Marathi language|Marathi]] film.
'''Shankar Nagarkatte''' (9 November 1954 - 30 September 1990), known as '''Shankar Nag''', was an actor and director of [[Cinema of Karnataka|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 theater activities. He co-wrote ''[[22 June 1897]]'', an [[India]]n national award-winning [[Marathi language|Marathi]] film.


==Early career==
==Career as an actor==
===Early Career===
Shankar Nagarkatte was born on 9 November 1954 in Mallapur village in Honnavar (Uttara Kannada), Karnataka. His parents were Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte. His elder brother is the popular Kannada actor [[Anant Nag]]. After completing formal education, Shankar moved to [[Mumbai]]. In Mumbai, he was attracted to Marathi theater and immersed himself in theatrical activities. Incidentally, he met his future wife, [[Arundhati Nag|Arundhathi]] during a drama rehearsal.
Shankar Nagarkatte was born on 9 November 1954 in Mallapur village in Honnavar (Uttara Kannada), Karnataka. His parents were Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte. His elder brother is the popular Kannada actor [[Anant Nag]]. After completing formal education, Shankar moved to [[Mumbai]]. In Mumbai, he was attracted to Marathi theater and immersed himself in theatrical activities. Incidentally, he met his future wife, [[Arundhati Nag|Arundhathi]] during a drama rehearsal.


Shankar Nag then shifted 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 a 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 actor fetched him a national award at the Delhi International Film Festival. Thus began his film career, where, in a span of 12 years (from 1978 to 1990) he acted in some 80 Kannada movies, as a leading man, besides co-producing (with actor-brother Anant Nag) and directing some films like ''[[Minchina ota|Minchina Ota]]'' (a rare example of a heist movie in Kannada), ''[[Janma Janmada Anubandha]]'' and ''[[Geetha (Kannada film)|Geetha]]'' (both of which had music by South Indian maestro [[Ilayaraja]]).
Shankar Nag then shifted 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 a role of a mercenary by [[Girish Karnad]] in the 1979 epic movie, ''[[Ondanondu Kaladalli]]'', which was loosely based on [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s masterpiece, ''[[Seven Samurai]]''. The film portrayed the Indian Martial Arts [[Kalaripayattu]]. ''[[Ondanondu Kaladalli]]'' went on to be a critical and commercial success and Shankar Nag tasted success with his very first movie. The film was screened at the Delhi International Film Festival and Shankar Nag won a National Award for his performance as a mercenary in the film. The same year Shankar Nag starred in a Romantic movie titled '''''I Love You''''' in which he played a womanizer who later repents for his mistakes. This movie too did reasonably well at the box office and Nag received critical acclaim for his performance. Shankar Nag got a major commercial break through his next film '''''Seetha Ramu''''' of Abbaiya Naidu, which catapulted him into star status. The film was a major blockbuster, and was remarkable for its extraordinary scientific theme of [[Brain transplant|Brain transplantation]], imagined back in 1979, which is practically not possible to achieve even today.


===Rise to Super stardom===
⚫
==Later days==
After the huge success of ''Seetha Ramu'', 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, distinct swagger, dark eyes and had a rough voice. Although he had never undergone any [[martial arts]] training, he earned the sobriquet of ''Karate King''. After giving 3 consecutive hits in 1979, Shankar Nag continued his streak of success with hits like '''''Preethi Madu Thamashe Nodu''''' (1980), ''[[Moogana Sedu]]'' (1980), '''''Muniyana Madari''''' (1981), '''''Jeevakke Jeeva''''' (1981), ''[[Bharjari Bete]]'' (1981) co-starring [[Ambareesh]], '''''Nyaya Ellide''''' (1982), '''''Kaarmika Kallanalla''''' (1982) co-starring [[Vishnuvardhan]]. He also won critical acclaim for his performances in these movies. After giving 10 hits in a short span of 3 years, Shankar Nag was rapidly rising to super stardom. He just needed one more big commercial success like ''Seetha Ramu'' to get into the league of the Top stars. At this point of time, he starred in a film titled ''[[Auto Raja]]'' in 1982, which catapulted him to Superstar status and made him a darling of masses and Auto Drivers. ''[[Auto Raja]]'' was a huge commercial success and made Shankar Nag a mass icon. With the stupendous success of ''[[Auto Raja]]'', Shankar Nag's craze doubled overnight and he had easily overtaken big stars like [[Vishnuvardhan]] and [[Ambareesh]] and became the second biggest star of [[Kannada cinema]] at that point of time, behind [[Rajkumar]]. In 1983, Shankar Nag directed, produced and starred in ''[[Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige]]'' which focused on the lifestyles of the middle class population of [[Bangalore]]. The film was both a musical and commercial hit. The same year, he also gave hits like '''''Chandi Chamundi''''' and '''''Gedda Maga'''''. 1984 proved to be Shankar Nag's best year, as he gave 5 box office hits in that year such as '''''Thaliya Bhagya''''', '''''Indina Bharatha''''', ''[[Ganda Berunda]]'' (co-starring [[Ambareesh]], inspired by ''[[Mackenna's Gold]]''), '''''Benki Birugali''''' (co-starring [[Vishnuvardhan]]) and ''[[Apoorva Sangama]]'' (co-starring [[Rajkumar]]).
Commercial film producers took notice of Shankar Nag and he began acting in typical masala movies. ''Seetaramu'' was Shankar Nag's first commercial movie. Shankar was an unconventional hero with an unshaven face, distinct swagger, dark eyes and had a rough voice. Although he had never undergone any [[martial arts]] training, he earned the sobriquet of ''Karate King.'' His popular films include ''[[Auto Raja]]'', ''Geeta'', ''S.P. Sangliana'', and ''[[Minchina ota|Minchina Ota]]''.
From 1979 to 1984, in a span of 6 years, Shankar Nag had given around 20 box office hits, which proved that his box office appeal was bigger than [[Vishnuvardhan]] and [[Ambareesh]] during that period.


===Career Downfall===
He had also identified himself with the Janata Party in 1980s.
While Shankar Nag had a very successful career from 1979 to 1984, his career started to decline from 1985. Famous Villain [[Tiger Prabhakar]] turned into a hero and became a star during this period. [[Rajkumar]]'s son [[Shivrajkumar]] and [[V. Ravichandran]] were also rapidly growing to be stars with back to back hits. Shankar Nag was somewhere lost out in the race due to competition from the new born stars from 1985 to 1987 and most of his films failed to make any impression during this period. Most of the times when his movies failed, he used to turn towards stage plays and theater activities.


===Directorial debut===
===Comeback===
After the rough patch from 1985 to 1987, Shankar Nag re-invented his mass fan following from 1988 to 1990, with successful Cop films like the '''''Sangliana''''' series and ''[[C.B.I. Shankar]]''. It was the film '''''Sangliana''''' which came in 1988 that gave him the much needed break, in which he essayed the role of the real life super cop [[H. T. Sangliana]]. Shankar Nag stuck to his cop image and starred in ''[[C.B.I. Shankar]]'' in 1989, which was also a box office success. The same year, Shankar Nag also acted in [[Sunil Kumar Desai]]'s suspense thriller film ''[[Tarka (film)|Tarka]]'' which gained wide critical acclaim and was moderately successful at the box office. He then starred in the sequel to Sangliana titled '''''S.P. Sangliana 2''''' in 1990, which went on to be a Super Hit at the box office and was more successful than the first part. A third installment in the Sangliana series with Shankar Nag was in production, but was stalled after Shankar Nag's death in September 1990. However, a third installment titled ''S.P. Sangliana 3'' was made in 1997, with [[Devraj]] playing the role of Sangliana, who was incidentally the antagonist in the first two installments.
Shankar began his directorial 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 (Kannada film)|Geetha]], ''[[Accident (1985 film)|Accident]]'' (which won many state and national awards), ''[[Ondu Muttina Kathe]]'' (with [[Rajkumar (actor)|Rajkumar]] in the lead), ''[[Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige]]'', ''[[Hosa Teerpu]]'', ''[[Lalach]]''.


===''Malgudi Days''===
==Directorial Career==
Shankar began his directorial in 1980 with ''Janma Janmada Anubandha''. He next directed ''[[Minchina Ota (1980 film)|Minchina Ota]]'' in 1981, a heist film which depicts the life of a criminal who is on the run after escaping from prison. It won him wide critical acclaim and seven State Awards, including the Best film. The same year, Shankar Nag directed and starred in ''[[Geetha (film)|Geetha]]''. Songs composed by [[Ilaiyaraaja]] went on to be all time chart-busters and are still widely popular. Although the film wasn't commercially successful, it has achieved cult classic status in the following years. In 1983, Shankar Nag directed, produced and starred in ''[[Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige]]'' which focused on the lifestyles of the middle class population of [[Bangalore]]. The film was both a musical and commercial hit. He also directed ''Hosa Teerpu'' and a hindi film ''[[Lalach]]'' in 1983. In 1985, Shankar Nag directed ''[[Accident (1985 film)|Accident]]'', which is considered as one of the path-breaking landmark films of [[Kannada cinema]]. Accident received the National Award for Best film in 1985 and bagged the Rajata Kamala too. The same year, it also won the Karnataka State Award for Best film and a few more categories too. Critics call it one of the first films depicting corruption in public life and the futile struggle against it. The movie struck the right balance between commercial and art cinema and is considered as a "bridge cinema". Shankar Nag directed ''[[Ondu Muttina Kathe]]'' for [[Rajkumar]] in 1988. Riding on high expectations, ''Ondu Muttina Kathe'' received mixed response upon release, however, ended up doubling its investment. Over the following years, ''Ondu Muttina Kathe'' has achieved cult status and is considered as one of the most technically advanced films of the 80's era of [[Kannada cinema]]. Although other than ''[[Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige]]'' and ''[[Ondu Muttina Kathe]]'' none of Shankar Nag's directorials were commercially successful, yet they brought National recognition to [[Kannada cinema]] and many awards and honors such as National Awards and State awards. Shankar Nag's directorial films were successful in making the entire Nation look forward to [[Kannada cinema|Kannada films]].
⚫
Shankar did not limit his efforts to cinema. He was equally immersed in theatre and television. ''[[Malgudi Days (TV series)|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 programme production, Doordarshan used to invite private producers to produce television serials. Shankar accepted the offer and directed ''Malgudi Days'', based on the collection of short stories by [[R. K. Narayan|R.K.Narayan]] in 1987, under the banner of Padam Rag Films. Well known actors [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]] and [[Ananth Nag]] appeared in the serial. [[Master Manjunath]], who essayed the role of impish Swami, became a household name.


⚫
===Malgudi days===
⚫
The music, accompanied by the nasal twang "Tananaa tana na naa" was composed by [[L. Vaidyanathan]]. The teleserial was shot in [[Agumbe]], [[Shimoga]] district, Karnataka. Shankar went 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.{{Citation needed|date= January 2013}}
⚫
Shankar did not limit his efforts to cinema. He was equally immersed in theatre and television. [[Malgudi Days (TV series)|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 programme production, Doordarshan used to invite private producers to produce television serials. Shankar accepted the offer and directed ''Malgudi Days'', based on the collection of short stories by [[R. K. Narayan|R.K.Narayan]] in 1987, under the banner of Padam Rag Films. Well known actors [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]] and [[Ananth 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 teleserial was shot in [[Agumbe]], [[Shimoga]] district, Karnataka. Shankar went 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.{{Citation needed|date= January 2013}}


He anchored the Parichaya program on DD1-Kannada, in its starting days.{{Citation needed|date= January 2013}}
He anchored the Parichaya program on DD1-Kannada, in its starting days.{{Citation needed|date= January 2013}}
Line 50: Line 55:


==Selected filmography==
==Selected filmography==
===As a director===
===As a Director===
# ''[[Janma Janmada Anubandha]]'' - 1980
# ''Janma Janmada Anubandha'' - 1980
# ''[[Minchina ota|Minchina Ota]]'' - 1984
# ''[[Minchina Ota (1980 film)|Minchina Ota]]'' - 1981
# ''[[Geetha(Kannada Film)|Geetha]]'' - 1981
# ''[[Geetha (film)|Geetha]]'' - 1981
# ''[[Hosa Teerpu]]'' - 1983
# ''Hosa Teerpu'' - 1983
# ''[[Lalach]]'' - 1983
# ''[[Lalach]]'' - 1983
# ''[[Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige]]'' - 1983
# ''[[Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige]]'' - 1983
# ''[[Accident (1985 film)|Accident]]'' - 1985
# ''[[Accident (1985 film)|Accident]]'' - 1985
# ''Watchman'' - 1986
# ''Watchman'' - 1986
# ''[[Malgudi Days (TV series)|Malgudi Days]]'' - 1987
# ''[[Malgudi Days (TV series)]]'' - 1987
# ''[[Swami (TV Series)]]'' - 1987
# ''Swami (TV Series)'' - 1987
# ''[[Ondu Muttina Kathe]]'' - 1988
# ''[[Ondu Muttina Kathe]]'' - 1988


===As an actor===
===As an Actor===
{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9;
{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9;
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
Line 72: Line 77:
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1978 || ''[[Sarvasakshi]]'' || [[Marathi language|Marathi]] || || Short Play
|rowspan="1"| 1978 || ''[[Sarvasakshi]]'' || [[Marathi language|Marathi]] || ||
|-
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1979 || ''[[Ondanondu Kaladalli]]'' || Kannada || Gandugali || Debut film as hero
|rowspan="4"| 1979 || ''Madhuchandra'' || || ||
|-
|-
| ''Seetha Ramu'' || Kannada || ||
| ''Setta Ramudaithe'' || Kannada || ||
⚫
|-
| ''Madhuchandra'' || || ||
|-
|-
| ''I Love You'' || Kannada || ||
| ''I Love You'' || Kannada || ||
⚫
|-
⚫
| ''[[Ondanondu Kaladalli]]'' || Kannada || Gandugali ||
|-
|-
|rowspan="6"| 1980 || ''[[Moogana Sedu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Nagaraja ||
|rowspan="6"| 1980 || ''[[Moogana Sedu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Nagaraja ||
|-
|-
|''[[Haddina Kannu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|[[Haddina Kannu]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|''[[Preeti Madu Tamashe Nodu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|[[Preeti Madu Tamashe Nodu]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|''[[Ondu Hennu Aaru Kannu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|[[Ondu Hennu Aaru Kannu]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|''[[Rustum Jodi]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|[[Rustum Jodi]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|''[[Janma Janmada Anubandha]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || Directed by himself, With [[Ananth Nag]] asst somu
|[[Janma Janmada Anubandha]] || [[Kannada]] || || Directed by himself, With [[Ananth Nag]] asst somu
|-
|-
|rowspan="9"| 1981 || ''[[Thayiya Madilalli]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|rowspan="9"| 1981 || [[Thayiya Madilalli]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Maha Prachandaru]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || co-starring [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]], [[Ambareesh]]
| [[Maha Prachandaru]] || [[Kannada]] || || co-starring [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]], [[Ambareesh]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Kari Naga]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Kari Naga]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Minchina ota|Minchina Ota]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Katte || Directed by himself
| [[Minchina ota|Minchina Ota]] || [[Kannada]] || Katte || Directed by himself
|-
|-
| ''[[Hana Balavo Jana Balavo]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Hana Balavo Jana Balavo]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Muniyana Maadari]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Muniyana Maadari]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Jeevakke Jeeva]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||with [[Anant Nag]]
| [[Jeevakke Jeeva]] || [[Kannada]] || ||with [[Anant Nag]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Geetha (Kannada film)|Geetha]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||Directed by himself
| [[Geetha (Kannada film)|Geetha]] || [[Kannada]] || ||Directed by himself
|-
|-
| ''[[Bhari Barjari Bete]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Bhari Barjari Bete]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1982 || ''[[Benki Chendu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|rowspan="5"| 1982 || [[Benki Chendu]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|''[[Nyaya Ellide]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|[[Nyaya Ellide]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|''[[Karmika Kallanalla]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]]
|[[Karmika Kallanalla]] || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]]
|-
|-
|''[[Auto Raja]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Leelavathi (actress)|Leelavathi]]
|''[[Auto Raja]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Leelavathi (actress)|Leelavathi]]
Line 132: Line 137:
|''[[Gedda Maga]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|''[[Gedda Maga]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|rowspan="7"| 1984 || ''[[Ganda Bherunda]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Ambareesh]]
|rowspan="6"| 1984 || ''[[Ganda Bherunda]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Ambareesh]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Utsav]]'' || [[Hindi]] || Sajjal, the thief ||
| ''[[Utsav]]'' || [[Hindi]] || Sajjal, the thief ||
Line 141: Line 146:
|-
|-
| ''[[Thaliya Bhagya]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| ''[[Thaliya Bhagya]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
⚫
| ''[[Kalinga Sarpa]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Asha Kirana]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| ''[[Asha Kirana]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
Line 150: Line 153:
| ''[[Parameshi Prema Prasanga]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Directed by [[Ramesh Bhat]] ||
| ''[[Parameshi Prema Prasanga]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Directed by [[Ramesh Bhat]] ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Thayiya Kanasu]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Thayiya Kanasu]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Accident (1985 film)|Accident]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Ravi (Journalist) || Directed by himself
| ''[[Accident (1985 film)|Accident]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Ravi (Journalist) || Directed by himself
|-
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1986 || ''[[Na Ninna Preetisuve]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || co-starring [[V. Ravichandran|Ravichandran]], [[Arjun Sarja]]
|rowspan="2"| 1986 || [[Na Ninna Preetisuve]] || [[Kannada]] || || co-starring [[V. Ravichandran|Ravichandran]], [[Arjun Sarja]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Rasthe Raja]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Rasthe Raja]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|rowspan="7"| 1987 || ''[[Antima Ghatta]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|rowspan="6"| 1987 || [[Antima Ghatta]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Digvijaya]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Ambareesh]] and Srinath
| [[Digvijaya]] || [[Kannada]] || || with [[Ambareesh]] and Srinath
|-
|-
| ''[[Ondu Muttina Kathe]]'' || [[Kannada]] || || with Dr.[[Rajkumar (actor)|Rajkumar]]
| [[Ee Banda Anubandha]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Ee Banda Anubandha]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Lorry Driver]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Lorry Driver]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Huli Hebulli]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Huli Hebulli]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
| [[Thaayi]] || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
| ''[[Thaayi]]'' || [[Kannada]] || ||
|-
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1988 || ''[[Sangliana (film)|Sangliana]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Sangliana || with [[Ambareesh]]
|rowspan="2"| 1988 || ''[[Sangliana (film)|Sangliana]]'' || [[Kannada]] || Sangliana || with [[Ambareesh]]
Line 220: Line 221:
# http://www.viggy.com/english/current_rangashankara.asp
# http://www.viggy.com/english/current_rangashankara.asp
# http://www.rangashankara.org
# http://www.rangashankara.org



==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 01:08, 4 August 2013

Shankar Nag
Born
Shankar Nagarkatte

(1954-11-09)November 9, 1954
Mallapur Village, Honavar (North Canara), Karnataka
DiedSeptember 30, 1990(1990-09-30) (aged 35)
Near anagod davanagere, Karnataka
Other namesShankar Anna, Karate King, Auto Raja
Occupation(s)Actor, director, producer, screenwriter,television anchor
Years active1977 to 1990
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
SpouseArundathi Nag
Parent(s)Sadananda Nagarakatte
Anandi
RelativesAnant Nag (brother)
Websitehttp://www.shankarnag.in/
http://www.rangashankara.org/

Shankar Nagarkatte (9 November 1954 - 30 September 1990), known as Shankar Nag, was an 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 theater activities. He co-wrote 22 June 1897, an Indian national award-winning Marathi film.

Career as an actor

Early Career

Shankar Nagarkatte was born on 9 November 1954 in Mallapur village in Honnavar (Uttara Kannada), Karnataka. His parents were Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte. His elder brother is the popular Kannada actor Anant Nag. After completing formal education, Shankar moved to Mumbai. In Mumbai, he was attracted to Marathi theater and immersed himself in theatrical activities. Incidentally, he met his future wife, Arundhathi during a drama rehearsal.

Shankar Nag then shifted 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 a role of a mercenary by Girish Karnad in the 1979 epic movie, Ondanondu Kaladalli, which was loosely based on Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, Seven Samurai. The film portrayed the Indian Martial Arts Kalaripayattu. Ondanondu Kaladalli went on to be a critical and commercial success and Shankar Nag tasted success with his very first movie. The film was screened at the Delhi International Film Festival and Shankar Nag won a National Award for his performance as a mercenary in the film. The same year Shankar Nag starred in a Romantic movie titled I Love You in which he played a womanizer who later repents for his mistakes. This movie too did reasonably well at the box office and Nag received critical acclaim for his performance. Shankar Nag got a major commercial break through his next film Seetha Ramu of Abbaiya Naidu, which catapulted him into star status. The film was a major blockbuster, and was remarkable for its extraordinary scientific theme of Brain transplantation, imagined back in 1979, which is practically not possible to achieve even today.

Rise to Super stardom

After the huge success of Seetha Ramu, 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, distinct swagger, dark eyes and had a rough voice. Although he had never undergone any martial arts training, he earned the sobriquet of Karate King. After giving 3 consecutive hits in 1979, Shankar Nag continued his streak of success with hits like Preethi Madu Thamashe Nodu (1980), Moogana Sedu (1980), Muniyana Madari (1981), Jeevakke Jeeva (1981), Bharjari Bete (1981) co-starring Ambareesh, Nyaya Ellide (1982), Kaarmika Kallanalla (1982) co-starring Vishnuvardhan. He also won critical acclaim for his performances in these movies. After giving 10 hits in a short span of 3 years, Shankar Nag was rapidly rising to super stardom. He just needed one more big commercial success like Seetha Ramu to get into the league of the Top stars. At this point of time, he starred in a film titled Auto Raja in 1982, which catapulted him to Superstar status and made him a darling of masses and Auto Drivers. Auto Raja was a huge commercial success and made Shankar Nag a mass icon. With the stupendous success of Auto Raja, Shankar Nag's craze doubled overnight and he had easily overtaken big stars like Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh and became the second biggest star of Kannada cinema at that point of time, behind Rajkumar. In 1983, Shankar Nag directed, produced and starred in Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige which focused on the lifestyles of the middle class population of Bangalore. The film was both a musical and commercial hit. The same year, he also gave hits like Chandi Chamundi and Gedda Maga. 1984 proved to be Shankar Nag's best year, as he gave 5 box office hits in that year such as Thaliya Bhagya, Indina Bharatha, Ganda Berunda (co-starring Ambareesh, inspired by Mackenna's Gold), Benki Birugali (co-starring Vishnuvardhan) and Apoorva Sangama (co-starring Rajkumar). From 1979 to 1984, in a span of 6 years, Shankar Nag had given around 20 box office hits, which proved that his box office appeal was bigger than Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh during that period.

Career Downfall

While Shankar Nag had a very successful career from 1979 to 1984, his career started to decline from 1985. Famous Villain Tiger Prabhakar turned into a hero and became a star during this period. Rajkumar's son Shivrajkumar and V. Ravichandran were also rapidly growing to be stars with back to back hits. Shankar Nag was somewhere lost out in the race due to competition from the new born stars from 1985 to 1987 and most of his films failed to make any impression during this period. Most of the times when his movies failed, he used to turn towards stage plays and theater activities.

Comeback

After the rough patch from 1985 to 1987, Shankar Nag re-invented his mass fan following from 1988 to 1990, with successful Cop films like the Sangliana series and C.B.I. Shankar. It was the film Sangliana which came in 1988 that gave him the much needed break, in which he essayed the role of the real life super cop H. T. Sangliana. Shankar Nag stuck to his cop image and starred in C.B.I. Shankar in 1989, which was also a box office success. The same year, Shankar Nag also acted in Sunil Kumar Desai's suspense thriller film Tarka which gained wide critical acclaim and was moderately successful at the box office. He then starred in the sequel to Sangliana titled S.P. Sangliana 2 in 1990, which went on to be a Super Hit at the box office and was more successful than the first part. A third installment in the Sangliana series with Shankar Nag was in production, but was stalled after Shankar Nag's death in September 1990. However, a third installment titled S.P. Sangliana 3 was made in 1997, with Devraj playing the role of Sangliana, who was incidentally the antagonist in the first two installments.

Directorial Career

Shankar began his directorial in 1980 with Janma Janmada Anubandha. He next directed Minchina Ota in 1981, a heist film which depicts the life of a criminal who is on the run after escaping from prison. It won him wide critical acclaim and seven State Awards, including the Best film. The same year, Shankar Nag directed and starred in Geetha. Songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja went on to be all time chart-busters and are still widely popular. Although the film wasn't commercially successful, it has achieved cult classic status in the following years. In 1983, Shankar Nag directed, produced and starred in Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige which focused on the lifestyles of the middle class population of Bangalore. The film was both a musical and commercial hit. He also directed Hosa Teerpu and a hindi film Lalach in 1983. In 1985, Shankar Nag directed Accident, which is considered as one of the path-breaking landmark films of Kannada cinema. Accident received the National Award for Best film in 1985 and bagged the Rajata Kamala too. The same year, it also won the Karnataka State Award for Best film and a few more categories too. Critics call it one of the first films depicting corruption in public life and the futile struggle against it. The movie struck the right balance between commercial and art cinema and is considered as a "bridge cinema". Shankar Nag directed Ondu Muttina Kathe for Rajkumar in 1988. Riding on high expectations, Ondu Muttina Kathe received mixed response upon release, however, ended up doubling its investment. Over the following years, Ondu Muttina Kathe has achieved cult status and is considered as one of the most technically advanced films of the 80's era of Kannada cinema. Although other than Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige and Ondu Muttina Kathe none of Shankar Nag's directorials were commercially successful, yet they brought National recognition to Kannada cinema and many awards and honors such as National Awards and State awards. Shankar Nag's directorial films were successful in making the entire Nation look forward to Kannada films.

Malgudi days

Shankar did not limit his efforts 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 programme production, Doordarshan used to invite private producers to produce television serials. Shankar accepted the offer and directed Malgudi Days, based on the collection of short stories by R.K.Narayan in 1987, under the banner of Padam Rag Films. Well known actors Vishnuvardhan and Ananth 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 teleserial was shot in Agumbe, Shimoga district, Karnataka. Shankar went 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.[citation needed]

He anchored the Parichaya program on DD1-Kannada, in its starting days.[citation needed]

Shankar retained an interest in theatre. His brother Ananth Nag and he founded SANKET, an amateur theatre group, which still produces plays. His first ever directorial effort in Kannada was Anju Mallige by Girish Karnad. He continued with productions like Barrister, Sandhya Chhaya. Sometime here he was 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 in the cast.

Death

Shankar Nag died in a car crash at Anagodu village on the outskirts of Davanagere town on 30 September 1990, while proceeding to Lokapur in Bagalkot district of Karnataka with his wife Arundhati Nag and daughter Kavya, in the shooting of his film Jokumaraswamy.[citation needed] Sundarakanda was his last film as actor and was released a few days after his death. It's a belief among his many ardent fans that Shankar Nag would have changed that face of Kannada Film Industry had he lived longer.

Selected filmography

As a Director

  1. Janma Janmada Anubandha - 1980
  2. Minchina Ota - 1981
  3. Geetha - 1981
  4. Hosa Teerpu - 1983
  5. Lalach - 1983
  6. Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige - 1983
  7. Accident - 1985
  8. Watchman - 1986
  9. Malgudi Days (TV series) - 1987
  10. Swami (TV Series) - 1987
  11. Ondu Muttina Kathe - 1988

As an Actor

Year Film Language Role Notes
1978 Sarvasakshi Marathi
1979 Madhuchandra
Setta Ramudaithe Kannada
I Love You Kannada
Ondanondu Kaladalli Kannada Gandugali
1980 Moogana Sedu Kannada Nagaraja
Haddina Kannu Kannada
Preeti Madu Tamashe Nodu Kannada
Ondu Hennu Aaru Kannu Kannada
Rustum Jodi Kannada
Janma Janmada Anubandha Kannada Directed by himself, With Ananth Nag asst somu
1981 Thayiya Madilalli Kannada
Maha Prachandaru Kannada co-starring Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh
Kari Naga Kannada
Minchina Ota Kannada Katte Directed by himself
Hana Balavo Jana Balavo Kannada
Muniyana Maadari Kannada
Jeevakke Jeeva Kannada with Anant Nag
Geetha Kannada Directed by himself
Bhari Barjari Bete Kannada
1982 Benki Chendu Kannada
Nyaya Ellide Kannada
Karmika Kallanalla Kannada with Vishnuvardhan
Auto Raja Kannada with Leelavathi
Archana Kannada
1983 Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige Kannada
Raktha Thilaka Kannada
Chandi Chamundi Kannada
Nagabekkamma Nagabeku Kannada
Gedda Maga Kannada
1984 Ganda Bherunda Kannada with Ambareesh
Utsav Hindi Sajjal, the thief
Apoorva Sangama Kannada with Rajkumar
Benki Birugali Kannada with Vishnuvardhan
Thaliya Bhagya Kannada
Asha Kirana Kannada
1985 Maanava Danava Kannada
Parameshi Prema Prasanga Kannada Directed by Ramesh Bhat
Thayiya Kanasu Kannada
Accident Kannada Ravi (Journalist) Directed by himself
1986 Na Ninna Preetisuve Kannada co-starring Ravichandran, Arjun Sarja
Rasthe Raja Kannada
1987 Antima Ghatta Kannada
Digvijaya Kannada with Ambareesh and Srinath
Ee Banda Anubandha Kannada
Lorry Driver Kannada
Huli Hebulli Kannada
Thaayi Kannada
1988 Sangliana Kannada Sangliana with Ambareesh
Mitheleya Seetheyaru Kannada cameo role
1989 Antintha Gandu Nannalla Kannada with Ambareesh
Tarka Kannada
Idu Saadhya Kannada
C.B.I. Shankar Kannada
1990 Aata Bombata Kannada
Bhale Chatura Kannada
Hosa Jeevana Kannada
Maheshwara Kannada
Nighooda Rahasya Kannada
Pundara Ganda Kannada
Ramarajyadalli Rakshasaru Kannada
S.P. Sangliana II Kannada Sangliana
1991 Nagini Kannada
Punda Prachanda Kannada
Sundara Kanda Kannada
1993 Prana Snehitha Kannada

As a writer

References

  1. http://www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/sreesha/shankarnag.htm
  2. http://www.viggy.com/english/current_rangashankara.asp
  3. http://www.rangashankara.org


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