Body Copy: Kannada actor Anant Nag expressed deep gratitude upon being conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award on Wednesday. Speaking exclusively to Filmfare, the veteran actor, who has spent more than five decades in cinema, shared that the award ‘means the world to him.’ “I felt so heartened to see our PM Modi sir appreciating my work.”

Quitting a lucrative bank job

From an 18-year-old who started working as a bank employee to entering theatre and subsequently stepping into cinema, Anant Nag’s life has been a fairytale. But he says cinema did not change the way he saw life.

“My journey into films has been intentional. My bank managers too encouraged me to pursue acting while balancing films. Even though I went on leave for film shooting, I was still paid in full. But after one point I felt that I was taking undue advantage of films. I wanted someone else who deserves the job to be there,” reveals Nag, who quit his bank job and took up acting full-time.

Is he in touch with any of the bank employees? “No, it’s been almost 60 years since I quit, and now I am 78.”

Humbled life in an ashram

Filmmakers kept him busy with offers, so he had a stable career from the initial stage itself. And for someone who has spent five decades in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is like a crowning glory. But Anant Nag says that his early life in the ashram and the teachings in the Mutt kept him grounded.

“I spent my formative years of life in the ashram, so I was trained to prepare for everything in life. I had a measure of how life in cinema at every stage was going to be. There were so many realisations and lessons learnt during my life journey.”

Break from acting

In spite of receiving many offers, Anant Nag stopped acting and hasn’t taken up any film in the last three years. Wasn’t he getting any good roles? He couldn’t agree more.

“I don’t want to mar my career and reputation by doing roles that are insignificant to the narrative,” he points out.

But will he reconsider his decision with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, we ask? “Now any role I take up should be worth the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,” he laughs.

Kannada brand ambassador

Anant has been a student of Sanskrit since his ashram days. Since Sanskrit is a Vedic language, he easily navigated other languages.

“Working in multiple languages and industries has been culturally enriching.” The actor explains that filmmakers from other languages called him only for exceptional roles.

“I see myself as an ambassador of Kannada cinema for other languages. I still remember the early days when I shot with Shyam Benegal on the East Coast of Visakhapatnam.”

Realistic cinema vs Pan-India

Earlier, actors were cast in a film based on their theatre background and acting workshops. But filmmakers cast aspiring actors based on their social media following. While encouraging Pan-India films, he wanted filmmakers to bring out rooted stories.

“Your roots are your ethos and identity. I hope more such films will be made,” he signs off.

Also Read: Anant Nag’s Extraordinary Journey Culminates in Dadasaheb Phalke Honour

National award-winning director Meghna Gulzar believes that filmmakers adapting real-life events have a responsibility to remain honest to the reality at the heart of the story. Known for films such as Talvar and Daayra, Gulzar says cinematic changes are possible, but the central truth of an incident should never be compromised.

Speaking to Zoom, the Daayra director opened up about her approach to telling stories inspired by real events. According to Meghna, filmmakers can change the way a story is structured or presented for the screen, but they must preserve what actually happened.

“The most important thing is to remain true to the core truth of the story. You can change the structure or presentation for cinema, but you cannot change the basic truth,” she said.

Gulzar also stressed the importance of sensitivity when portraying painful or disturbing incidents. She believes filmmakers need to be careful that difficult realities are not presented merely for shock value or entertainment.

“Sensitivity is very important. You have to show the pain without using it only for shock or entertainment. Sometimes, knowing what not to show is as important as knowing what to show. Just because you can show something does not mean you need to show it,” she explained.

While discussing the creative liberties taken in Daayra, Gulzar explained that the film combines elements from different places to shape its cinematic narrative. However, she maintained that these changes were not made to exaggerate or sensationalise the events.

“The cinematic liberty that we have taken is maybe a bit from here, a bit from there. But we’ve never ever spiced it up or fictionalised it to creative liberty extent,” she said.

Meghna Gulzar further explained that the reactions and emotions depicted in the film were not created solely for dramatic effect. “Did I create that reaction? No. That’s the difference,” she added.

Through Daayra, Gulzar continues her focus on sensitive and socially relevant subjects, while emphasising the need to balance cinematic storytelling with the responsibility that comes with portraying real events.

Daayra hits cinemas on September 18, 2026.

Also Read: Daayra Movie Review: Gritty and Compelling