Actor Anant Nag during the Bangaluru International Film Festival Interactive Session.
| Photo Credit: Sampath Kumar G. P.
“Fans, members from the film industry and well-wishers had written to the Prime Minister recommending me for the Padma awards. I am glad that such an educated crowd felt I was worthy of the honour,” said veteran actor Anant Nag, on being named for Padma Bhushan on the eve of Republic Day. He was among the two, with journalist A. Surya Prakash, to be named for Padma Bhushan from Karnataka.
Full list of Padma Awards 2025
A range of roles
Known for playing a range of roles, from parallel cinema to popular ones, Anant Nag has acted in over 300 films, most of them in Kannada; he has also acted in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, and English films.
Anant Nag has also acted in plays and serials, along with his brother and filmmaker/actor, the late Shankar Nag.
“Any award pales in comparison with people’s acceptance of me. That said, these awards have a rich history and I am glad to have won it,” he said, about winning the Padma award, which was long-awaited.
Among the Padma Vibhushan awardees is L. Subramaniam, born in Tamil Nadu but settled in Bengaluru for many years. A violinist, musician, and composer, he is known for his prowess as a Carnatic classical musician as well for fusion music.
In 2007, the Subramaniam Foundation, a charity run by Subramaniam and his wife and singer, Kavitha Krishnamurthy, set up a music school called the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts ), in Bengaluru.
Mr. Surya Prakash, named for Padma Bhushan, has held key positions in both print and electronic media for over 50 years and is an author specialising in constitutional and parliamentary studies.
He is a former chairman of Prasar Bharati, India’s public service broadcaster. Currently, Mr. Surya Prakash is a member of the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library Society.
Among the Padma Shri awardees is Ricky Kej, a Bengaluru-based music composer and three-time Grammy winner.
In 2023, Kej won a Grammy for Best Immersive Audio Album for his work ‘Divine Tides’ with rock-great Stewart Copeland (‘The Police’), making him the only Indian to win three Grammy awards. Kej had previously won Grammy awards in 2015 and 2022.
Hassan Raghu, another awardee, is an expert in folk and traditional martial arts. He has worked in theatre and films for decades.
Prashanth Prakash, named for Padma Shri under Trade and Industry category, said that it was a recognition of the critical role that start-ups and technology sector had played in nation building.
“With all humility, I accept the award on behalf of Accel India, my partners, colleagues and everyone else who has worked to nurture and strengthen India’s start-up ecosystem,” he told The Hindu.
Also Read | Nine from Karnataka get Padma awards
Three from North Karnataka
The Padma Shri also went to three from North Karnataka districts. While Vijayalaxmi Deshamane from Kalaburagi is an oncologist, Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara from Koppal district and Venkappa Ambaji Sugathekar from Bagalkot are folk artists.
Born in a poor Madiga family in a slum in Kalaburagi, Dr. Deshamane emerged as one of the most sought-after oncologists, particularly in breast cancer treatment.
Ms. Shillekyathara, a 96-year-old from Moranala village in Koppal district, is an exponent of Togalu Gombeyata, a form of shadow puppetry using leather dolls. Mr. Sungathekar, though an illiterate, renders over 1,000 Gondhali folk songs and over 100 Gondhali folk stories.
Published – January 26, 2025 12:47 am IST