Actor, director and visionary Shankar Nag may have died 25 year ago, but his memory refuses to wane

Being an actor, I travel across the State. I see that people remember Shankar Nag everywhere even now, and grieve for his untimely death. I come across so many autos and auto-stands to this day in Bengaluru that carry pictures of Shankar. It is a great wonder that an actor won so many admirers in such a short life, and is still remembered.

Ananth Nag, in his introduction to the book ‘Nanna Thamma Shankara’

It was 25 years ago that actor and film-maker Shankar Nag died in a tragic accident. Yet, his charisma has not waned, certainly not from public memory. A brilliant actor, director, technician, entrepreneur and a visionary, Shankar Nag breathed his last on September 30, 1990 at the age of 35.

Many know that he started out as a bank employee, but soared to great heights in his chosen forte — cinema and theatre. With the support of his brother and actor Ananth Nag, he set a trend, producing and directing path-breaking films.

Though he has acted in over 80 films, he is remembered most for films he both directed and acted. Minchina Ota, Janma Janmada Anubandha, Nodi Swamy Navirodu Heege, Accident, Parameshi Prema Prasanga, are his legacies. He directed Ondu Muttina Kathe, starring Rajkumar, and acted with him in Apoorva Sangama. He was the only actor to get an award for ‘Best screen presence’ in the international film festival in Delhi for Ondanondu Kaladalli, directed by Girish Karnad.

Shankar earned a national identity for his tele-serial Malgudi Days. It was regarded a phenomenon, when it was aired on Doordarshan in the 80s. Everything about Malgudi Days, including sketches by R.K. Laxman and music by T.S. Vaidyanathan, became iconic.

One of his best known films was Accident, a path-breaking political thriller revolving around an accident caused by the son of a politician, resulting in the killing of several homeless persons sleeping on the footpath. Interestingly, many real-life incidents have occurred since the film was released in 1985, mirroring the central plot of the film. A man bursting with ideas, Shankar Nag set up Sanket Studio, with state-of-the-art dubbing technology.

According to his wife and theatre person Arundhati Nag, he was an experimenter all his life and was far ahead of his times. He had a vision beyond films and theatre. He had envisaged a metro rail project for Bengaluru and had even shared his views with the then Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde. Shankar even envisaged a low-cost housing project with HUDCO for which he tried getting Austrian technology. He even planned to develop a ropeway for Nandi Hills. He was also a political activist and campaigned for the Janata Party.

He made such an impact on all classes of people that a prominent cinema house in Bengaluru has also been named after him.

Marathi debut

Very few people know that, Shankar acted in two Marathi films prior to his entry into Kannada films: S arvasakshi and 22 June 1897. While Sarvasakshi dealt with local superstitions, 22 June 1897 is based on the true life story of the assassination of a British government officer.

Man of theatre

Shankar Nag’s contribution to Kannada theatre is also unique. Even during the peak of his stardom, Shankar acted in plays. He co-founded Sanket, an amateur theatre group with his wife. Anju Mallige, Barrister, Sandhya Chhaya, Parameshi Prema Prasanga were the best productions of Sanket. His last stage production was Girish Karnad’s famous play Naga Mandala. Ranga Shankara in Bengaluru, started by his wife is a tribute to his contribution to the Kannada stage.