On my Pinboard - Anant Nag

Actor Anant Nag, revered for his natural style of acting, has over the years carved a niche for himself in the South Indian films.

He began his career in theatre and swiftly moved on to cinema. His popular projects in Kannada are ‘Chandanada Gombe’, ‘Naa Ninna Bidaalare’, ‘Benkiya Bale’, ‘Ibbani Karagitu’, ‘Makkaliralavva Mane Thumba’, and ‘Mududida Taavare Aralitu’.

He has won the State Award for ‘Best Actor’ for films like ‘Minchina Ota’, ‘Hosa Neeru’ and most recently, ‘Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu’. He has finished working on ‘March 22’ which will release in August and is presently working on ‘Hottegagi genu battegagi’. Music: Bhimsen Joshi

“I was exposed to different kinds of musical styles during my growing-up years.

When I began working in theatre, I started attending concerts by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and developed an interest in Hindustani Classical music. Later, I got exposed to M Balamuralikrishna’s music. Both these legends have lent voice to my films. I also love the background score of David Lean’s films.

It is called theme music and every character has a music for him or her. The minute the tunes start playing, you know which actor would be appearing on screen. I also liked the choir music of Elvis Presley.”  Actor: Alec Guinness

“I have always admired the realistic acting style in English films. Alec Guinness has impressed me with his performances in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago’. I have also enjoyed watching the films of Richard Burton and David Lean. When it comes to Indian films, I feel the natural acting of Sanjeev Kumar has always stood out. These were just some of the actors who I looked up to but I have developed my own style of acting.”  Travel: Boston

“Boston undoubtedly tops my list of favourite holiday spots. I like everything about Boston — the city, the coast and driving through the interiors. The tour through Boston takes you to some wonderful places and offers great experiences. I have been there five times, but I would still like to go back to Boston. I am also very much at home anywhere along the Coastal Karnataka belt where I grew up.” Books: R K Narayan

“I enjoyed reading the books by R K Narayan. I like his simple language and beautiful stories. When I met R K Narayan in person, he talked about Graham Greene and soon I began reading books by Graham as well. Another writer who has influenced my thinking and shaped my personality is Swami Ramdas of Anandashram.

He wrote poetry but his prose was also wonderful. He has also written a great deal on spiritualism. In fact, I picked up my English by reading his books.”  Food: Dal and rice

“I like to help myself generously with anything vegetarian from the West coast of Karnataka.
My favourite curries are ‘Dal’, ‘Tamboli’ and ‘Aambat’. These go well with both rice and ‘chapati’.

There is a great variety in vegetarian food. My list extends from Karwar to Kasaragod. It is hard for me to list them all.

I recently visited my friend’s house in my hometown and they made about 50 different types of curries for just a few days.”
 Inspiration: Anandi

“My mother Anandi and father Sadanand have inspired me no end. My mother always narrated stories from the ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’. But I somehow never liked to listen to those stories because they were all so sad. My father taught me the ‘Bhagavad Gita’. He also exposed me to the teachings and writings of Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and C Rajagopalachari. But what I had heard in the stories was very different from reality. The reality, for me, was very harsh.”
  (As told to Nina C George)