Veteran actor Ananth Nag said, “Tulu is not an alien language to me. During my childhood I studied for two years in Udupi and I can understand the language since then.”
For the first time, Ananth Nag will be acting in a Tulu movie —English—directed by K Sooraj Shetty under the banner of Acme Movies International.
Speaking to reporters here, Ananth Nag said, “It has been my long cherished dream to act in a Tulu movie. I have been watching the growth of Tulu cinema for the last several years and had a dream to act in one of the Tulu movies.”
He said, “Though my mother tongue is Konkani, I grew up in an atmosphere surrounded by Tulu and I understand the language,” he said.
“When Producer Harish Sherigar asked me to play a role in the movie ‘English’, I first sought the dialogues. After reading the dialogues and the script, I decided to accept the role. I think I will do justice to my character,” he added.
On the movie, he said the movie focuses on the need for English language and at the same time, it delves into the importance of preserving and promoting Tulu language and its culture.
To a query on movie ‘English’ having similarities with the Kannada movie, ‘Sarkari Hi Pra Shaale Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai,’ he said Sarkari Hi Pra Shaale Kasaragodu traced the struggle to keep a Kannada medium school open in Kasargod.
Ananth Nag, further, said, “English (British) ruled India till 1947. After 1947, it is the English language which is ruling us. In this age of increase in love for English language, the question is how do we preserve our regional languages?” he asked.
Director Sooraj Shetty said that 75% of the shooting of the movie had been completed and the movie was set to hit the screens in August.
The cinematographer of the movie is Krishna Sarathi and music is scored by Manikanth Kadri. The casts are Prithvi Amber, Navya Poojary, Naveen D Padil, Aravind Bolar, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, Vismaya Nayak and others.