New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- At the 40th Filmfare Awards in 1995, Nana Patekar stood almost teary-eyed as he received the 'Best Actor' award from the legendary Dilip Kumar. "I know I don't look like an actor. Yet I have received this award today. I am happy that today I am one of you," said Nana. 31 years have passed since that evening and Nana went on to become one of the most versatile and powerful performers in Hindi and Marathi cinema. But perhaps what made him extraordinary was that he was never just an actor. He was never even a conventional screen hero. In fact, his real-life persona was almost the antithesis of the glamorous Hindi film star and perhaps that is what made his journey so remarkable. On Thursday, at the age of 75, the veteran actor passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa.
No, Nana didn't have the conventional looks of a Hindi film hero. He himself often spoke about how he looked more like a villain. But talent has never been decided by looks. What Nana brought to the screen was far more potent: an unmistakable presence, a voice that could command a scene, an extraordinary ability to deliver dialogue and a versatility that made it impossible to put him in a box. In a career spanning more than four decades, he carved out his own space almost from the beginning. He made his big-screen debut with the 1978 drama 'Gaman'. Then came Mira Nair's 'Salaam Bombay!', where he showed that there was something distinctly powerful about his presence. But it was Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Parinda' in 1989 that announced his arrival in Hindi cinema in unmistakable terms.
As the dreaded gangster Anna, Nana created a character that was volatile and unforgettable. The film, loosely inspired by Marlon Brando's 'On the Waterfront', also starred Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. Nana struck up friendships with Shroff and Kapoor that lasted till his final years.
He turned director with 'Prahaar: The Final Attack' (1991), in which he played an Indian Army officer and underwent rigorous training for the role. In 'Angaar' (1992), he won his first Filmfare Award for 'Best Villain'. The same year, 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' showed another side of him, proving that the actor couldn't be boxed into a single genre.
Then came 'Krantiveer' (1994). As a wayward, gambling young man who finds a purpose in fighting injustice, Nana delivered one of the defining performances of his career. Through the 1990s and 2000s, he moved between lead roles, character parts, smaller films and mainstream blockbusters, refusing to let success dictate what kind of actor he should be. In 'Agni Sakshi' (1996), he was so convincing as a psychotic husband that audiences despised the man he played. In Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Khamoshi: The Musical' (1996), the same actor became a deaf-mute father to Manisha Koirala.
Then came 'Ab Tak Chhappan', where he played a Mumbai police encounter specialist with a cold, controlled intensity. And when he turned to comedy, he revealed yet another facet of himself. 'Taxi No. 9 2 11: Nau Do Gyarah' brought his comic timing to the fore, while 'Welcome' gave popular culture one of its most enduring comic characters, Uday Shetty. Almost every line he delivered in the film became part of the popular lexicon.
And then, in 2016, came 'Natsamrat'. As Ganpat Belwalkar, a celebrated stage actor who retires at the peak of his fame, gives away everything he owns to his children and is eventually forced to confront their ingratitude, Nana delivered one of the finest performances of his career. The film remains one of Marathi cinema's most acclaimed works.
That, perhaps, was Nana's greatest strength: he could never be reduced to a type. But there was another Nana, the man outside the screen, and perhaps that was where his idea of heroism came alive.
Born into a lower-middle-class Maharashtrian family, Nana never allowed stardom to erase his roots. On an episode of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', he put his relationship with the film industry simply: "I am not from the industry. I come here, work here and then go back. I am from the village and I will stay there."
In 2015, Nana, along with Marathi actor Makarand Anaspure, launched the Naam Foundation in Pune to support farmers affected by severe drought and indebtedness. The initiative began after Nana decided against buying a luxury car reportedly worth around Rs 1.5 crore and chose instead to use the money to help families of farmers who had died by suicide in drought-hit regions such as Vidarbha and Marathwada.
Through Naam Foundation, his work extended to water conservation and watershed management in rural Maharashtra, while support was also provided to families devastated by farmer suicides. "The work he did in the rural areas of Maharashtra in the fields of water conservation and watershed management through the 'Naam Foundation' is noteworthy and significant. The helping hand he extended to the families of farmers who committed suicide became a support for many families. Nana was not only an excellent artist-actor but also a personality sensitive towards society," wrote Union Minister Nitin Gadkari after the demise of Nana. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recalled the actor's involvement in the Jalyukt Shivar campaign and his work with farmers. "Whether it was aiding farmers or extending a helping hand during times of drought, Nana always led from the front," he wrote.
He later adopted multiple schools for families affected by cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts and collaborated with the Army on skill-development initiatives. Till the last moment, Nana remained a simple man who never let stardom define him.
When Nana Patekar went to Kargil War front
During the Kargil War in 1999, Nana Patekar put his acting career on hold and asked for permission to join the Indian Army at the war front. He later spoke about this lesser-known chapter of his life on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'.
He had already trained with the Maratha Light Infantry for three years for his film 'Prahaar: The Final Attack', in which he played Major Vs Chavan. He also wrote and directed the film. When the Kargil conflict broke out, the actor approached senior Army officers and asked him to join the troops. He was told that he needed permission from the Defence Minister. "I knew our Defence Minister George Fernandes ji, so I called him. Even he said it was impossible," the actor said during a KBC episode in August 2024. He then reminded Fernandes about his three years of military training. Fernandes eventually gave him permission to go.
The 'Welcome' actor travelled to the Kargil conflict zone in August 1999 and spent around 60 days with Army personnel near the Line of Control. He travelled to places including Dras, Leh, Kupwara, Baramulla and Sopore.
During his time there, he also became part of a Quick Reaction Team and later helped at a military hospital in Srinagar.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.