Happy Birthday to Our "Auto Raja" - Mr. Shankar Nag

 

It is said that “A life that would last longer than their living is those who bring happiness and thought process to the life of people around them”. One of such a creator was Shankar Nag. He was born on 9 November 1954 in Mysore district, a place called Honnavar. He is younger brother of another versatile actor that Kannada film industry has produced, Mr. Anant Nag.

Interested in films, he (Shankar Nag) just started to try hard for a role in movies. He made his debut in GIRISH KARNAD directorial “Ondanondu Kaladalli”. This movie just made him a star overnight with a critically acclaiming article by Vincent Canby, The New York Times an international magazine.

Following the success of some movies as an actor, he jumped to the venture of direction with “Minchina Ota”. This movie won seven state awards including best film award. Some of his other workers are Geetha, Nodi Swamy Naviruvudu hige, Ondu Muthina Kathe, C B I Shankar, Sangliyana and Preethu Madu Thamashe Nodu. But the movie that made him an icon of the kannada movie industry and also the ideal of many Auto Stand Association was the movie “AutoRaja”. The result made him the image or a photo frame in 90% of the Auto stands of Karnataka.

He also was one of those who were in the script of introducing metro trains in Bangalore, which was finally introduced to the city after two decades. His ideology of film making was beyond its time. One of the movies that made headlines even in other movie industry was Accident. This movie won both state and national award.

In the year 1987, he was offered to direct a television serial Malgudi days which was based on a collection of short stories by the legendary Author, R K Narayan. The TV serial also featured Vishnuvardhan, Anant Nag and Shankar Nag himself. The serial is still mentioned as one of the best of the television industry.

Some of the awards he received are:

Karnataka State Film Award

-Best Film(1980) – Minchina Ota

-Best Screenplay (1980) - Minchina Ota

-Best Film (1985) – Accident

-Best Director (1985) – Accident

Filmfare Award South

-Best Director (1980) – Minchina Ota

IFFI Award for Best Actor

-Silver Peacock Award for Best Actor (1979) – Ondanondu Kaladalli

After a huge success in just a span of 12 years, he dies in a car crash during his drive to his movie’s preproduction work on 30th September 1990.