"I never thought I will take up acting as a profession," says one of the most sought after actors of Kannada cinema. Having spent over 3 decades in the film industry, Anant Nag comes across as a super cool guy with no airs of stardom around him. When most of his contemporaries have settled down for mature roles, Anant Nag still has the enthusiasm and zeal of a newcomer. Ready to talk about anything from his forthcoming English movie 'Stumble' to good old 'Malgudi Days', Nag settles down for an exclusive chat with Indiainfo.com at his palatial residence.

Nag says he had no clue that he would take up acting as his profession. "Well, it just happened," he says flashing his boyish smile. "I just loved to imitate people. I had this compulsive urge to mimic others. But I never thought it would be my profession one day. I used to act a lot in my schooldays. Roles came by much later through plays, and before I knew it turned into my career," he says.

"I was in Bombay to distribute invitations of my sister's wedding. Some people saw me there and approached me to do a project with them. That's how it all began. Later on I started doing movies with Shyam Benegal. I was flooded with offers after that. But the movies offered to me were very similar to what I had done before. I did not want to pursue Hindi commercial cinema because you are immediately typecast there. Then I had my political aspirations that I could not fulfil in Mumbai since I was an outsider there. That is when I shifted base to Bangalore," says Nag who has delivered memorable performance in Hindi movies like Ankur, Kalyug and Bhumika.

"I grew up in a very religious place in coastal Karnataka. I learnt to play the harmonium, tabla and a little bit of music in a 'mutt' there. Whenever I find time now, I go to my native place. It brings back old memories," he says with a nostalgic look ready to unwind childhood memories.

Anant Nag has fond memories of his actor-director brother Shankar Nag. Shankar Nag still has a special place in the hearts of Kannadigas. "Shankar was younger to me by six years. Life would have been very different now had he been around. I miss him a lot. We planned to do so many things together. We were prepared to take a lot of risk. We had each other to fall back upon. Suddenly he passed away and I just gave up all the plans. I didn't want to do it without him," he says with a lost look in his eyes. He stares at his parent's photograph for a moment and then recollects fond memories of 'Malgudi Days'.

"Shankar and I had worked together in many films, but 'Malgudi Days' was different. We won many awards for our films even though the movies were not commercially successful. But I always felt this was the right medium for Shankar's potential. He put his heart and soul into making 'Malgudi Days'. It was one of its kind made in South India. I am happy that people received it very well.

"Malgudi Days was an enlightening experience. Malgudi was an imaginary town in R K Narayan's novel. However, Narayan had Mysore and Nanjangud in mind while writing about Malgudi. We looked around to find a place of that description. Once, I had gone to Agumbe village during a film shoot and I soon realised we had found Malgudi. I showed Shankar the village and he was convinced. To recreate the magic of the novel took a lot of effort and time. But it was worth all the time and energy we spent on it."

Things are very different now, he says with a grim look. "In the last decade or so, especially after the advent of television into each and every household, the standard in cinema has gone down. People now have so much to watch, so many channels in so many different languages. Earlier people used to take their families out to watch a movie. It was more or less a whole day's programme. Now, with TV in the house, it is all available at the press of a button. Life has been made very easy, yes, but it has drastically affected cinema."

Good films have lost out in the long run, he feels. His ever-so-popular movies like 'Hamsa Geethe', 'Benkiya Bale', 'Beladingala Baale', 'Udbhava' and 'Ganeshana Maduve' have no parallel in today's Kannada cinema, which mainly churns out identical or remake movies to cater to a select audience. "Most of the recent films are exclusively for youngsters. Audience now look only for entertainment. Filmmakers too cater to the tastes of only the 'Gandhi class' section. Family movies are seldom made. An escapist attitude has crept into the minds of the cine-goers, which does not augur well for future of cinema. This happened in Hollywood also," says the seasoned actor hoping that this trend will be a 'passing phase'.

Mention 'Garva' and Anant Nag's face lights up. Basking in the success of his hugely popular Kannada serial 'Garva', Anant Nag is very upbeat about his English film 'Stumble' directed by one of his favourite directors, Prakash Belawadi. "Prakash and I had worked together for the Kannada serial 'Garva'. When Prakash spoke about his plans of doing an English film, I thought he was joking!

"Prakash was very serious about this project. He even had some friends who were willing to invest in this movie. Good and sensible movies need to be marketed very well. Now, Indian movies are doing very well abroad. We need to take advantage of this recent development. Our venture 'Malgudi Days' did well abroad. I am confident 'Stumble' will also get a good response."

It is evident that Garva holds a special place in his heart. Anant Nag won accolades for his extraordinary portrayal of a liquor baron in 'Garva'. "The one thing that strikes about Garva is that it is about a powerful man. He is powerful, yet he is human. He errs, makes mistakes, owns them up and ultimately tries to make up for it. It has all shades of human nature, unlike our movies where the hero has only positive character. This character appealed to me and I took up the offer."

Garva, a trendsetter in its own right, weathered into crisis because of its varied content, that appealed to the audience. "There was no self-censorship in Garva with regard to content. We talked about all issues, be it politics, corruption, bureaucracy, stock market, or crop insurance. Some quarters of people were unhappy. We were even pressuried to change it. We were prepared to carry it on for a long time. But many of them betrayed us. I even did three stupid films because they were backing 'Garva'. And at the end of it all, they withdrew their support to the serial. All good things in life must come to an end. But the end to Garva was very early," he says with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

I was very impressed with Prakash's writing style during 'Garva' and I was sure he would do justice to 'Stumble'. So, I just stumbled upon 'Stumble'. In India, English films are happening in a big way. Many Indian directors are willing to experiment. English is almost a spoken language in India. But not many filmmakers have tried this medium in their movies on a large scale. However, we are sure there is an audience for these kind of films, even if it was in select centres," he says, hoping his new film will be received well.

Even after putting in more than 30 years in cinema, and even producing some notable Kannada movies, Anant Nag doesn't seem to have an urge to direct films. "I don't think I am made for it. It is too much of hard work. I can't handle it for long. Although I have produced many movies, I find that direction is a very tedious job. One has to go into the nitty gritties of filmmaking. I don't think I have the patience to direct. You cannot get the best out of an artist with a short temper like mine! I have been offered many movies to direct. I have almost said yes and then said no," says the jovial actor.

When Anant Nag is not acting, he is catching up with the latest updates in politics. Politics to him is more than interest. It is his passion. Anant Nag has the uncanny ability to turn any discussion under the sun to politics! His knowledge of current affairs reflect his serious interest in politics. "Politics is my active interest. I plan to pursue it as long as I can. Although we are not in power right now, I will continue to be associated with my party."

One thing that strikes you about Anant Nag is that he is a family man. He can't stop smiling when he fondly talks of his teenaged daughter. "She is in IX standard. She actively participates in all the school programmes. She watches a lot of movies too. But I am not sure if she is interested in taking it up as a career. It would be alright if she wants to take it up but it would be better if she doesn't! She expects me to dote on her, which I do! Her mother can scold her, but I cannot do the same. If I happen to scold her, then it is a serious offence. I spend a lot of time with her. Whenever I get the time, we travel a lot."

One wonders what could inspire this talented actor to give such varied performance each time. He fools around and says 'Money!' gleefully. "The varied the script, the more interesting it is to perform a character. I look for profound scripts. The quality of scripts definitely inspire me. I have done many art films at the beginning of my career. I don't mind doing any film as long as the script is good. The script matters to me the most," says the choosy actor.

Anant Nag fans may soon see him in Hindi serials too! He is currently busy looking into the scripts that he might take up. No, he is not bidding goodbye to movies. He plans to do a film with Kavitha Lankesh of 'Deveri' fame in the near future.

For Anant Nag, life sure becomes better after 50! Enjoying every bit of his day, doing interesting and truly meaningful roles, he sure is determined to give the young stars a tough run for their money's worth!