Online campaign asking for Padma award for Ananth Nag gains momentum

Filmmaker-actor Rishab Shetty reasoned that Ananth Nag has greatly contributed to Kannada Film Industry, thus should be awarded a Padma Award.
Ananth Nag
Ananth Nag
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Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced #PeoplesPadma calling for the citizens to nominate “inspiring” recipients, fans of senior actor Ananth Nag took to Twitter on July 13 to nominate the actor for his contribution to the film industry. The #AnanthnagforPadma campaign was kicked off by Sandalwood actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty who urged the people to nominate the senior actor. The Union government is accepting nominations until September 15.

The Padma Awards, announced on the eve of Republic Day, are one of the highest civilian honours of India. The annual Awards are given in three categories—Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher-order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service) to celebrate the achievements of individuals in multiple disciplines involving public service. Usually conferred upon recipients nominated by The Padma Committee, this year, the nominations were opened to the public for the first time.

Shetty posted an image of a letter wherein he urged the people to nominate Nag. He also lauded the government’s decision to let the people nominate their role models. “There is no shortage of people with tremendous talent in Karnataka. One such personality is the veteran actor Ananth Nag. As an actor, he has contributed greatly to the Kannada Film Industry. It is about time we recognize his contribution. I urge everyone to gather and nominate Ananth Nag for #PeoplesPadma. Support the movement using #AnanthnagforPadma,” he wrote.

The campaign gained momentum with many including the ruling party BJP's Karnataka Youth wing president Sandeep Kumar, actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty and director Hemanth M Rao backing the campaign. “His work has done all the talking. About time for the awards to grace his name,” wrote Rao.

Ananth Nag has acted in over 300 films in lead and supporting roles in Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi languages. Nag has also appeared in independent films, and television series like Malgudi Days, and has acted in plays as well. Nag debuted with the feature film Sankalpa (1973) that won seven state awards and then ventured into the world of independent films cinema with Shyam Benegal’s Ankur. His portrayal of a patient with Alzheimer's in Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016) received critical acclaim, and made this experimental film a commercial success. He has won five Karnataka State Film Awards.

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