Shankar Nag, the name evokes warm memories of Malgudi days in me. I was perhaps too young to understand the fineness of Malgudi days when I first watched it on television, but I remember enjoying it. When in college the series was re-run, and I was completely floored. I could not have imagined Malgudi in any other way. Everything was perfect, the actors, the costumes, the sets, the location, and so was the director. He was a natural. It could not have been made better.
What I know of Shankar Nag is what I see of him in his movies, and hear what people say of him. And I realise why he had and still has such a huge fan following or why people still love to remember him. Many a times when a conversation about Shankar Nag comes up, regardless of who it is, the topic of the Kannada film industry comes up too. Everyone, has just one thing to say. “If he was alive, the Kannada film industry would have been in a different place altogether.” I have no doubts about it. Even as an actor, most of his roles are realistic and mainly convey a message; likewise, his films. Within a span of ten years in the film industry he was a favorite of the masses. He was unconventional and lucid, be it as an actor or as a director.
A million words cannot describe a person. This is written only in the fond memory of a wonderful director and actor. Thanks to a person who brought Malgudi close to our homes and into our hearts.
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