Anant Nagarkatte (born 4 September 1948) popularly known as Anant Nag, is an actor from Karnataka, India. He is considered one of Kannada cinema's finest actors. As a result, he is popularly known as an actor with no-failures, by critics. In addition to Kannada movies, he has acted in Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi movies. He has also acted in Malgudi Days, directed by his younger brother Shankar Nag based on the stories by R. K. Narayan.
In July last year I came across a Kannada book called 'Nanna tamma Shankara' (My brother Shankara) written by Anant Nag, brother of the late film maker and actor Shankar Nag. I grew up on a strong diet of Shankar's 'Malgudi Days' and was witness to the Nag brothers in the 80s via their many Kannada and Hindi movies. It was only over the last few years that I have had the chance to properly process the impact of Shankar's untimely demise not only on Kannada cinema but also on Karnataka. Over this time period I have read a lot about Shankar's off screen life, his passionate associations with theater, his immersion in literature of Pablo Neruda and Gabriel Garcia Marquez among others and his highly ambitious visions for both Bengaluru and the rest of the state. In all of this his elder brother Anant Nag's thoughts on Shankar's life and demise somehow never seemed to surface. Given how low profile that family remains to this day 'Nanna tamma Shankara' seemed like a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the man behind the actor/filmmaker/celebrity.
Hence, here are some of the highlights of what I gathered from the book.
Bonds of brotherhood
I always knew how close the brothers were but it wasn't until I began reading the book that I was able to understand the true nature of the bond they shared. I also got a sense of the painful pinch of irreplaceable loss Anant Nag must be (is) going through with each passing day. My perspective on him as a talented performer amplified some more after recalling that he did some amazing comedies like 'Ganeshana maduve', 'Gauri Ganesha', 'HendatigelbeDi' and 'Yaarigu Helabedi' after Shankar's death. I cannot comprehend how this man was able to overcome such a horrific loss and yet manage to pull himself together for these performances. I came across a book called 'Off the record' written by veteran cinema journalist Ganesh Kasargod recently where he mentions that Anant Nag in fact had traveled to Hyderabad in grave depression after Shankar's death to end his own life. It was after long and hard conversations with his wife Gayatri that he eventually decided not to go through with it.
The book essentially begins with Shankar's birth in Honnavara, North Canara. Anant Nag, six years his senior, talks about the immense pampering Shankar received for being the youngest in the family. He also writes how his father would never miss an opportunity to smack him behind the head but always ensured Shankar was left unharmed. I also learnt that Anant Nag has a elder sister who, not surprisingly, also did her best to pamper little Shankar. He goes on to speak of how unafraid the boy was without forgetting to mention how extremely close he was to Anant. Being six years younger it was no surprise to learn that Shankar looked up to Anant as a father figure in many ways. Right up to the point where the two began formal education shuttling between Honnavara and Mumbai, due to their parents' circumstances, Shankar is shown to have been Anant's shadow in almost everything.
Life in Mumbai and entering cinema
It isn't until Shankar moves to Mumbai that he gets a chance to finally start doing things his own way. His love for stage takes him to the Marathi theater scene and thus begin his associations with the fine arts. Anant documents in good detail the way Shankar immersed himself into the various activities there and came in close contact with likes of Amol Palekar, Smita Patil, Girish Karnad among many others. It is also during this time that Shankar started acting in movies, his first feature being a Karnad directed venture called 'Ondanondu Kaaladalli' which went on to win various awards when it was released. The book then talks of the way the two brothers got together and started to think of starting their own production house. It was here that the movie 'Janmajanumada Anubandha' was released with Shankar donning the director's cap for the first time with Anant and himself in the lead roles. The film, Anant says, was a pretty bad disappointment probably because of the often used reincarnation theme in the plot. The book at this stage includes various conversations between the two about everything from personal life to political scenarios in the country. Anant also documents the successes of the later films they made like 'Minchina Ota' and 'Accident' that continued to register Shankar as a better film maker than an actor. In one particular sequence Anant writes about how the climax for the movie 'Accident' was changed at the last moment. A climax scene that shows the protagonist kill the minister in frustration had to be changed to a non violent one since, coincidentally, it was the same time that the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi had been gunned down. The censors clearly raised objections about it because of which Shankar is said to have screamed at Anant and asked him to sit down when he got up to pay respect during the television forecast of her funeral. 'Shankar' he writes 'had taken his first political decision.' Anant also reflects, with slight melancholy, that for a long time Shankar wasn't accepted as a local Kannadiga due to his roots predominantly coming from the Marathi scene. But he also acknowledges the effort Shankar put into ensuring that his name became synonymous with Kannada.
Malgudi Days
This part of the book was perhaps the most interesting one for me. Having been a major aficionado of both the RK Narayan book and the television series, it was refreshing to learn the beginnings of it. Anant writes of his associations with the series producer TN Narsimhan who had expressed interest in bringing Malgudi to life. It was with much reluctance that Shankar is said to have accepted the project primarily due to his commitments to both cinema and the theater. In fact it was Anant Nag who recommended to Shankar that Agumbe in Karnataka was perhaps the ideal spot to recreate Malgudi. It was then that Shankar spent months reading and re-reading Malgudi Days to ensure that he did complete justice to the adaptation. Anant speaks of how, once the project got underway, their lives became all about Malgudi Days for a good three to four years. Every conversation they had at the time would invariably be about thinking of the best possible way to shoot the mini series by hiring the most suitable actors to play the role. Anant writes of how their extended circle of friends came forward to help Shankar launch himself on the national scene by volunteering to play many of the roles. This list included great names like Girish Karnad, Vishnuvardhan, various people from the Marathi and Hindi cinema and of course Shankar's constant friend-philosopher-guide Anant Nag. All of Agumbe had become a shooting set with literally every home in the area used at some point to cook food for the cast and crew members. In fact, I heard Kashinath (one of Shankar's closest friends) speak in an interview recently that as one of the assistant directors he would always keep a guy handy during the shoot of Malgudi Days to ensure the walls of homes Shankar had broken to get the camera angles just right would be constructed back. Shankar wanted no compromise to the vision of Malgudi he wanted to portray. An attribute becoming quite rare in the field of cinema today. Anant then documents the way in which the two brothers traveled to Canada to market their product and to get people overseas also invested in spreading the word. As I read these stories in the book I also looked up interviews of Arundati Nag (Shankar's wife) and others who spoke on similar lines of just how energetic Shankar was during the shoot of Malgudi Days. Despite the non stop stress of working with a limited budget Shankar went to extreme lengths in ensuring that RK Narayan's work did not get jeopardized on screen after the debacle called 'Guide' by Dev Anand many years before that. History, as we have seen, is proof that Malgudi Days did in fact find the best maker in Shankar Nag.
Visions of a better tomorrow
One of the prominent portions of the second half of the book documents Shankar's affection to new and exciting ideas. The way he observed things in foreign countries and then asked himself 'Why can't we have that in India?' In that long list of projects that Shankar wanted to implement are – the much talked about metro train service in Bengaluru (which is now a reality after more than two decades and more than two hundred crores), the Nandi hills ropeway project, house building scheme for the poor using German construction mechanism, looking at alternatives to health care for the middle and lower middle class and of course, the country club – a project that involved creating an exclusive place for people to come and relax. Today we look around and find such places on every street but for a man to see this vision for a sleepy city like Bengaluru back in the 80s is nothing less than a marvel. Apart from these projects Shankar's love for the theater is consistently documented as his 'Nagamandala' based on Karnad's play by the same name went on to run to packed houses for several weeks. It was to realize this dream of his that Arundati Nag, after his untimely demise, went to hell and back to build 'Ranga Shankara' in Bengaluru. After reading all this it occurred to me that what Karnataka really lost wasn't just a brilliant film maker with an eye for detail but also a much needed visionary who would have perhaps created magic with the technology now available. A 'what if' scenario that will haunt his admirers forever.
Untimely death and final statements
The last few pages of the book are full of anticipation. That agonizing wait for the inevitable to occur. It was during the shooting of a film Shankar had managed to get sponsorship for called 'Jokumara Swamy' that his car met with a gruesome accident in the wee hours of September 30, 1990. His wife Arundati and daughter Kavya were with him at the time. Anant writes of the unimaginable waves of shock that passed through him when a stranger called him up that fateful morning and delivered the awful news to him. When he broke the news to his mother she is reported to have said – 'He was supposed to die many years ago as a child in Mumbai when he almost got hit by the truck. The time he got until now since then was his gift. A second birth.'
Anant documents the support he and his family members got from the huge gathering of friends and innumerable fans of Shankar after that. The nonstop incoming of well wishers from the most unexpected corners of the globe. He writes that it was then that he truly realized just how beloved his brother Shankara had been. He ends the book with the lines...
'Shankara is unforgettable to me. Not just as a brother but as an individual – as a complete individual. It is impossible to document the millions of memories I have of him. I don't think it suffices to say 'I think of him a lot'. He is in my thoughts every day, every passing moment, tormenting me.'
ಶಂಕರ್ ನಾಗ್ .. ಹೆಸರೇ ಒಂದು ಮಿಂಚಿನ ಸಂಚಲನವನ್ನುಂಟು ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಲ್ಲಿ. ಚಿಕ್ಕ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ಅವರ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತಿಕೆ, ಚಾತುರ್ಯತೆ, ಮಿಂಚಿನಂತ ವೇಗ, ಕ್ರಿಯಾಶೀಲತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ಅಕಾಲಿಕ ಮರಣದ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಕೇಳುತ್ತಲೇ ಬಂದಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಆದರೆ, ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಕಥೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಆಯಾಮದಿಂದ ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿದೆ.
ಶಂಕರ್ ಹುಟ್ಟು, ಬಾಲ್ಯ, ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸ, ಸರಳ ಜೀವನ ಶೈಲಿ, ಕಲೆಯ ನಂಟು, ಅನಂತ್-ಶಂಕರ್ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ನವಿರಾಗಿ ವಿವರಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಅನಂತ್ ಶಂಕರ್ ಮೇಲಿರುವ ಅಪಾರವಾದ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯು ಯಥೇಚ್ಛವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಶಬ್ದವೂ ಅನಂತ್ ರ ಮನದಾಳದ ಮಾತಂತಿವೆ.
ಶಂಕರ್ ಧೈರ್ಯ, ಗಟ್ಟಿತನ, ದಿಟ್ಟತನ ಹೀಗೆ ನಾನಾ ಧನಾತ್ಮಕ ಗುಣಗಳನ್ನು ಪರಿಚಯಿಸುವ ಅನಂತ್, ತಮ್ಮ ನ್ಯೂನತೆ ಗಳನ್ನು / ಅಸಮರ್ಥತೆಗಳನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂಜರಿದಿಲ್ಲ.
ಇದೆಲ್ಲದರಾಚೆಗೆ ಕರಾವಳಿಯ ಪರಿಶುದ್ಧ ಭಾಷೆ, ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ತಿನಿಸುಗಳು, ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಮಠದ ರೀತಿ ನೀತಿಗಳು ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಪುಸ್ತಕದುದ್ದಕ್ಕೂ ಬೆರಗು ಮೂಡಿಸುವಂತಹ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಮತ್ತು ಆಲೋಚನೆಗಳು ಶಂಕರ್ ರದ್ದು.ಓದಿ ಮುಗಿಸುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಓದುಗ, ಅನಂತ್ ರ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲದ ಅನೂಪರತ್ನವನ್ನು ಅರಿತಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅವರನ್ನೇ ಅನುಕರಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಆ ರತ್ನವನ್ನು ಕೊಂಡೊಯ್ದ ವಿಧಿಯನ್ನು ಶಪಿಸುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ
As a Kannadiga, I am a huge fan of Actor/Director/Theatre Personality Shankar Nag. A man who has achieved so much in such a short span of time is something remarkable. Acted in more than 80 movies in just 12 years. Directed many award winning films. First person to shoot a film in underwater in India. Man who directed the evergreen television serial ‘Malgudi Days’ and performer of hundreds of plays and a great visionary. Words are short to describe Shankar Nag. He is one of those amazing personalities in the Indian cinema that left this world at a young age of 36 in a tragic accident.
Shankar has achieved a lot not only through his films, but also from other creative ideas that he has planned and meticulously executed. He has started the first fully equipped electronic recording studio in Bangalore, that is, Sanketh Electronics. He also had a great ideas of the society and that’s when Shankar had this idea of economic houses for the poor. Shankar Nag’s ideas were not only limited to that, he has also expressed his interest in starting a full-fledged country club in Bangalore. This was resulted in the construction of the Country club in the outskirts of Bangalore.
Shankar was also an active supporter of his elder brother, especially when Ananth was contesting in the elections. Shankar took special care in conducting the door to door campaigns, arranging for the helpers during election rallies, organizing most of the public meetings where his brother could deliver his election speeches, etc…
It is really hard to digest the fact that one man can do so many things in life within a short span of time. Ananth was really proud that, his younger brother could able to achieve more fame and name than him. His was a genuine fatherly concern towards his younger brother. Life is really unpredictable as Ananth puts in his own words. When whole family was having a happy time together for the successful opening of their country club, that’s when Ananth received the shocking news of his life. It was the accident news of Shankar Nag. Shankar was declared spot dead in that severe accident. And, he was just 36!!
It was an amazing read. We have seen these two on screen countless times but for the first time we get to meet the real them. The struggles they went through, their happiness, their sorrows. The narration is not exactly high standard. But it sounds just like how Anant Nag speaks. Simple and endearing.
ಅನಂತ್ ನಾಗರವರ ನನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮ ಶಂಕರ ಎನ್ನುವ ಸಂಕಲನ, ಅಣ್ಣ ತಮ್ಮಂದಿರರಾ ನಡುವೆ ಇರುವ ಒಂದು ಅಧ್ಬುತವಾದ ಬಾಂಧವ್ಯವನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಸಲೀಸಾದ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದು ಹೋದ ಹಲವಾರು ಸಂಧರ್ಬ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳನ್ನು ವಿವರಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ ತನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹಂಚುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದ ಜೀವನದ ಹಂತನ್ನೂ ಸರಳವಾದ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅನಂತ್ ನಾಗ್ ಮತ್ತು ಶಂಕರ್ ನಾಗ್ ರವರು ಹುಟ್ಟಿಬೆಳ್ದಿದ್ದು ಒಂದೆ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲೆ ಆದರೂ ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರ ಸ್ವಭಾವ ಮತ್ತೆ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬಾ ನೇ ಅಂತರವು ಕಂಡು ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನಂತ್ ರವರು ಒಂದು ರೀತಿಯಾದ ಭಾವುಕತೆಯಿಂದ ತನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮಾ ಶಂಕರ್ ನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಕಳೆದ ಕಾಲವನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಅವುಗಳಿಂದ ಅವರಿಗೆ ದೊರಕಿದ ಆನಂದ ಮತ್ತು ತೃಪ್ತಿ ನ ಅತಿಯಾದ ಸರಳತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಚ್ಚುಕಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಜನರೊಡನೆ ಹಂಚುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅನಂತರವರೊಬ್ಬ ಉತ್ತಮವಾದ ಕಲಾವಿದ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಚಿಕ್ಕವಯಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮನ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊತ್ತುಕೊಂಡ ಒಬ್ಬ ಒಳ್ಳೆ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಅಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪಾಗಲಾರದು. ಈ ಸಂಕಲನದ 'ದಿ ಬೆಸ್ಟ್' ಅಂಶ ಅನಂತ್ ಮತ್ತೆ ಶಂಕರ್ ರವರೊಡನೆ ನಡೆದ ಹಲವಾರು ರೋಚಕ ಮತ್ತು ರೋಮಾಂಚಕವಾದ ಸಂವಾದನೆಗಳು ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಅದು ಒಂದು ತಗ್ಗುನುಡಿ ಆಗಬಲ್ಲದು. ಶಂಕರ್ ನಾಗ್ ರವರು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಒಳ್ಳೆ ನಟನಾಗಿ ಮೇಲೇರಕ್ಕೆ, ಅವರ ಅಣ್ಣನಾದ ಅನಂತ್ ನಾಗ್ ರವರು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಪ್ರೊತ್ಸಾಹ ವನ್ನ ನೀಡಿರೋದು ಗೊತ್ತಿರುವ ವಿಷಯ. ಅಣ್ಣತಮ್ಮಂದಿರಿಬ್ಬರು ತಮ್ಮ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಮೂಲವಾಗಿರುವ ಸೌತ್ ಕೆನರಾ ದ ಜನವರ್ಗಕ್ಕೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಬೆಂಬಲ ನೀಡುವುದ್ಮೂಲಕ, ತಮ್ಮೊಡನೆ ಇರುವ ಕಲೆ ನಾ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಜಾರಿಗೆ ಗೆ ತಂದರು. ಈ ಸಂಕಲನ ಶಂಕರ್ ನಾಗ್ ರವರ ಬಯಾಗ್ರಫಿ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಸುಳ್ಳಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಶಂಕರ್ ರವರು ವಾಹನ ಅಪಘಾತಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಗಾಗಿದ್ದು ನಾಗ್ ರವರ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ಅತ್ಯಂತವಾಗಿ ದುಃಖಪಡಿಸುವ ಸಂಗಂತಿ ಅಂತ ಅನಂತರವರು ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಒಂದು ಸಾಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತಿಳಿಸಿರುವುದುಂಟು. ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರ ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸ, ಗುರುಜಿಯ ಆಶ್ರಮದ ಕಡೆ ಇರುವ ಅಪಾರವಾದ ಭಕ್ತಿ, ಅವರ ಚಟಗಳು, ಹಾವ - ಭಾವಗಳು, ಈ ರೀತಿಯಾದ ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದ ಹಲವಾರು ಏರು ಪೆರು ಗಳನ್ನ ವಿವರಿಸಲು ಅನಂತ್ ರವರು ಹಿಂಜರಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದರ ಓದುಗಾರರು ತುಂಬಾ ಆನಂದಮಯವಾದ ಅನುಭವಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಗಾಗುವುದ್ರಲ್ಲಿ, ಅನುಮಾನವೇ ಬೇಡ. ನನ್ನ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನಂತ್ ನಾಗ್ ರವರ ಈ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವು ಯಶಸ್ಸು ಕಂಡಿದೆ. ಅನಂತ್ ರವರ ಈ ಲೇಖನೆ ಗೆ ನಾನು ನಾಲ್ಕು ಅಂಕಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಲೂ ಬಯಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದಿ ಖುಷಿ ಪಡಿರಿ.
ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಗಮನಿಸಿ: ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದ ವಿಚಾರ ಗುಡ್ ರಿಡ್ಸ್ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ವ್ಯಾಖ್ಯಾನಿಸುತ್ತಿಲ.
Had known about this book for long time. Since I travel for long time to-and-fro office daily, I had seen this book in the hands of colleague on same shuttle service bus. So this nice read whenever I was able to find time on bus.
Shankar Nag was very popular actor in Kannada film industry in the 80's. I heard about his enterprising spirit but this book gave better picture of his futuristic visions he had. I was surprised that he and his brother worked together to establish recreational resort for the elites called 'Country Club'. (Sadly, now that club must have been sold off and is criticized for high price, poor service and spamming calls. There is no credit attributed to these brother's efforts.)
It was nice to have a peek into their early childhood, education and rise to fame on theatre and films. They had been moving to different coastal towns while they were growing up and they spent initial years of youth in the big city: Mumbai. It's here they got touch of theatre and acting.
Since this composite articles written by Ananth Nag for newspaper or magazine it was written very formally with English and Konkani sentences in between. Maybe not be a perfect literary work. Since its biography it does not matter. Reading is enjoyable.
Anant Nag takes us through the life of Shankranna, from his birth to how he transformed into a shining star in the film industry and in our lives. The visions of Shankar Nag for the state, his attitude towards life and the struggles they endured that we don't get to see, are explored. This is a heartwarming tale of two brothers, who were fundamentally different, but achieved great feats together. If only the publisher "Total Kannada" wasn't so reckless in proofreading the book, it would have been much more enjoyable.
Just Fabulous! The way Anantnag has written about his Younger Brother Shankarnag is simply superb. This book depicts the bondage between two brothers. Worth Reading
ಎಲ್ಲೂ ನಾಟಕಿಯತೆ ಇಲ್ಲದೇ ಸಹಜವಾಗಿ ತಮ್ಮನ ನೆನಪನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನಂತ��� ನಾಗ್.
ಶಂಕರ್ ನಾಗ್ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮೇರು ನಟನಾಗಿ, ಅವರಲ್ಲಿದ ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ಯೋಚನಾ ಶೈಲಿಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಚಿರಪರಿಚಿತ. ಈ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಬಾಲ್ಯ, ನಡೆದು ಬಂದ ಹಾದಿ, ಈ ಅಣ್ಣ ತಮ್ಮರ ಒಡನಾಟ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮೂಡಿಬಂದಿದೆ.
ಕನ್ನಡದ ದೈತ್ಯ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆ ಶಂಕರನಾಗ್ ಕುರಿತು ಅವರ ಅಣ್ಣ ಅನಂತನಾಗ್ ಬರೆದಿರುವ ಕೃತಿ... ಶಂಕರ್ ನಾಗ್ ಅವರ ಬಾಲ್ಯದಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಅವರು ಗತಿಸುವವರೆಗೆ ನಡೆದ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ... ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದಿ ಶಂಕರನಾಗ್ ಅವರು ಇನ್ನೂ ಇರಬೇಕಿತ್ತು ಎಂದು ಅನಿಸದೆ ಇರದು...
"ಶಂಕರನಾಗ್" ಎನ್ನುವ ಮೇರು ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವವನ್ನು ಅವರಿವರಿಂದ (ಅವರ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸಹವರ್ತಿಗಳಿಂದ) ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತ, ಅವರ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ ಬೆಳೆದೆ. ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಬಯಕೆಯಿಂದ ಅವರ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಗೂಗಲ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಚ್ ಮಾಡಿದಾಗ, ನನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ""ನನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮ ಶಂಕರ"". ಅವರ ಹುಟ್ಟು ಹಬ್ಬದ ಪ್ರಯುಕ್ತ ಆ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಸಹಾಯದಿಂದ ಅವರನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯುವ ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ನಡೆಸಿದೆ. ಅವರ ಅಣ್ಣನಾದ ಅನಂತನಾಗರವರು ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರ ನಡುವಿನ ಸಾಮರಸ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಶಂಕರ ಎನ್ನುವ ಮೇರು ವ್ಯೆಕ್ತಿತ್ವವನ್ನು ಸವಿವವರವಾಗಿ, ಆದಿನಗಳನ್ನು, ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಾಲದ ಓದುಗರ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವಂತೆ ವಿವರಿಸಿ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಕಳೆದ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿನ ದಿನಗಳು, ವಿಫಲತೆಯ ದಿನಗಳು, ಸಲೀಸಾಗಿ ಜನರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆರೆಯುವ ರೀತಿ , ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದ ಜೊತೆಜೊತೆಗೆ ಜನರ, ನಾಡಿನ ಬಗೆಗೆ ರಚನಾತ್ಮಕ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ಮನಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಶ್ಲಾಘನಿಯ...
If you are fan of a Shankar Nag then you must read this book to know more about the legend...
I haven’t felt such a deep loss in my heart for a long time now. It will certainly take few days to process this book entirely. Well, I expected nothing less. You experience Shankar through the eyes of his closest! The unconventional writing style of Anant Nag makes you fall in love with him yet again. The exceptional honesty of the author makes you live their journey so closely that you wonder, smile, laugh, love and cry throughout the book.
Thank you for writing this. Thank you for sharing the absolute genius of a mastermind. Thank you Anant Nag.
ಈಗಲೂ ಅವರು ನಮ್ಮ ನಡುವೆ ಬದುಕಿದ್ದಾರೇನೋ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೆ, ಅವರಿರಬೇಕಿತ್ತು ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೆ. ಬರೀ ಮೂವತ್ತೈದು ವರ್ಷ! ಅದೆಂಥ ತೇಜಸ್ಸು ಅದೆಂಥ ವರ್ಚಸ್ಸು ಆ ಮನುಷ್ಯನ ಮುಖದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂತಿದ್ದರಂತೆ ೭೦-೮೦ರ ದಶಕದಲ್ಲಿ. ನಾವು ಉದ್ಗರಿಸಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಶಂಕರ್ನಾಗ್ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದರೆ ಇವತ್ತು ನಮ್ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಿನಿಮಾ ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಇರ್ತಿತ್ತು ಮಗಾ ಅಂತಾ ಮಾತನಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳದ ಸಿನಿಮಾಹಾಲಿಕ್ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಸತ್ಯವೂ ಕೂಡ! ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ನೋಡಿರದ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ಇದಾರೆ, ಆಗಿನ ಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರಿಗಿದ್ದ ಆಲೋಚನೆಗಳು ಎಂಥವರನ್ನು ದಿಗ್ಭ್ರಾಂತಗೊಳಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ವಿ ಮಿಸ್ ಯೂ!
ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ನಮಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ನಟನಾಗಿ ಗೊತ್ತು, ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕನಾಗಿ ಗೊತ್ತು. ಅವರೊಳಗಿದ್ದ ದಾರ್ಶನಿಕನೊಬ್ಬನ ಅನಾವರಣ ಮಾಡಿಸುವಂತಹ ವಿಷಯಗಳಿವೆ. ಇಂದಿನ ಕಂಟ್ರಿ ಕ್ಲಬ್, ಮೆಟ್ರೋ, ಅಂಡರ್ಗ್ರೌಂಡ್ ರೈಲು ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ನಲವತ್ತು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆಯೇ ಬ್ಲೂ ಪ್ರಿಂಟ್ ಸಿದ್ದ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು. ಕಂಟ್ರಿ ಕ್ಲಬ್ನ ಸಿದ್ಧತೆಗಳು ಶುರುವಾಗಿದ್ದವು. ಅವರಿಗಿದ್ದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಚಿಂತನೆಗಳು ಅವರ ಮರಣಾನಂತರವೂ ಅನಂತ್ನಾಗ್ ಅವರನ್ನು ೮೪ರ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯಲ್ಲೂ ಗೆಲ್ಲಿಸಿತ್ತು.
ಸಿನಿಮಾದ ವಿಷಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೇ, ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣಂಗೆ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣನೇ ಸಾಟಿ. ಆಗಿನ ಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಕೇತ್ ಸ್ಟುಡಿಯೋ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು. ಸಿನಿಮಾವನ್ನು ತುಂಬಾ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಿದ್ದವರು, ಕಲೆಯಂತೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಂಡರು. ಅಣ್ಣಾ ನಷ್ಟ ಆದ್ರೂ ಕಮರ್ಷಿಯಲ್ ಸಿನಿಮಾಗಳು ಬೇಡಣ್ಣಾ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದ ಮಹಾನ್ ಕಲಾವಿದ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ. ದುರಂತವೇನೆಂದರೆ, ಅವರ ಬ್ಯಾನರ್ನಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ ಬಹುತೇಕ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಗಳಿಗಷ್ಟೇ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗಿ ಹೋದವು!
ನಟನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರನ್ನಾದರೂ ಮೀರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣನಿಗೆ ಮೊದಲ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆಸ್ಟ್ ಆ್ಯಕ್ಟರ್ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಯೂ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತ್ತು. ಕೆಲವು ಕಾರಣಗಳಿಂದ ಬೆಸ್ಟ್ ಸ್ಕ್ರೀನ್ ಅಪಿಯರೆನ್ಸ್ ಅಂತಾ ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಲಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಕ್ಲೀನ್ ಶೇವ್ಡ್ ಜ಼ಮಾನದ ನಟರ ನಡುವೆ ಗಡ್ಡ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳನ್ನು ಸೆಳೆದ ಕೀರ್ತಿ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣನದು. ವೃತ್ತಿ ಬದುಕಿನ ಬಹುಪಾಲಿಗೆ ಹದಿನೆಂಟು ಹತ್ತೊಂಭತ್ತು ಘಂಟೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಿಗರೇಟುಗಳನೆಳೆದು ಮತ್ತೆ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾಜರಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಮಹಾ ಉತ್ಸಾಹಿ
೫೯ನೇ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ ಮುಗಿಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಕೈ ಸಣ್ಣಗೆ ನಡುಗೋಕೆ ಶುರುವಾಯಿತು. ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ಅನ್ನೋ ಮೇರುಪರ್ವತವೊಂದರ ಸಾವು ಇನ್ನೇನು ಸನ್ನಿಹಿತವಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಅರವತ್ತನೇ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯವನ್ನು ಓದುವ ಸಾಹಸ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆ ಅನ್ನೋ ಇಬ್ಬಂಧಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಶುರುಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಅನಂತ್ನಾಗ್ ಅವರು ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ ೨೯ನೇ ತಾರೀಖು ಊರಿನಿಂದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಮಲ್ಲೇಶ್ವರಂಗೆ ಹೊರಡುವಾಗ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣನಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ನಿದ್ದೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಬೆಳಕು ಹರಿದಮೇಲೆ ಹೊರಡು, ಹೈವೇ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಬೇಡ, ಡ್ರೈವರ್ ಜೊತೆ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ ಹೊರಡು ಅಂತಾ, ಅವರ ತಾಯಿಗೂ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದರಂತೆ! ಆದರೆ ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ಆ ಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೂಂ ಅಂದು ನಡು ರಾತ್ರಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಹೊರಡಲು ಅಣಿಯಾದರು. ಮೃತ್ಯು ಕರೆದಿದ್ದನೇನೋ! ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ ೨೯, ೧೯೯೦ ಐದು ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ರಿಂಗಣಿಸಿದ ಅನಂತ್ನಾಗ್ರ ಟೆಲಿಫೋನ್ಗೆ ಬಂದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಬರುವ ಹೇಟ್ ನ್ಯೂಸ್ ಆಗಿರಬೇಕಿತ್ತು! ಸುಳ್ಳಾಗಬೇಕಿತ್ತು! ಇಲ್ಲ ಆಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಶಂಕ್ರಣ್ಣ ನೆನಪಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದು ಹೋಗಿದ್ದರು.
ಹೀಗೆ ಹಲವಾರು ವಿಷಯಗಳಿರುವ ರೋಚಕ ಪುಸ್ತಕ "ನನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮ ಶಂಕರ". ಸಮಯ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಗ ಓದಿ.