'One day someone asked me, what do you grow in the field? I said, woods. I am growing it myself. Otherwise all these friends would have burnt me with wet wood. After the smoke entered their eyes, their eyes would water and I would feel like they were crying for me. They are such worthless people. So I will bring dry wood for myself. There will be less smoke. With this I will know with a burning sensation who is my own and who is a stranger. Who knows, I might get up and start hitting someone in the face there too.
These things spoken so boldly about his own death show the outspoken style of Nana Patekar.
He had said these things in an interview with senior journalist Nikhil Wagle.
Nana Patekar died at his home in Dona Paula area of Goa on Thursday, October 8 at 5.20 am.
He was very fond of the sea. When he was in seventh class, his mother sent him to her sister's house in Murud-Janjira, so that he could concentrate on studies. There was a huge ocean near that house.
But in eighth grade, Nana's aunt feared that her own children might get spoiled in his company, so she sent him back.
There was always a sea in front of them in Murud. Regarding these memories, Nana Patekar had said, "I had become accustomed to seeing everything in grandeur. I did not have the habit of seeing everything small. If I wanted to become, I felt that I should become as big as the ocean."
'If these people had not come into my life, I would probably have been in the underworld'
Nana Patekar left his indelible mark in Marathi and Hindi film industry.
Through different roles like hero, co-hero, villain and character actor, he managed to make his mark even outside the world of Marathi films.
He came up from extreme poverty. It was only because of acting that a mischievous boy from an ordinary family could achieve ocean-like grandeur in the world of acting.
He was very mischievous in his childhood. He used this energy in drama and acting.
In Nikhil Wagle's interview, he had said, "I was basically poor. I slept on the footpath. A salary of Rs 35 per month and one meal a day. I started working at the age of 13. I always say that at that time I had no relatives. Then when I got some fame and money, I had a lot of relatives."
His father Gajanan Patekar ran a clothes business in Mumbai.
Someone cheated him in business and he lost everything. After this, he worked as a painter to support his poor family.
During that time he also used to make film posters. Then he studied in Samarth Vidyalaya, Dadar. After coming home in the afternoon, he would eat whatever he got and walk eight kilometers in the afternoon sun and then come back walking eight kilometers at night. Walking 16 kilometers every day was his daily routine.
His childhood was spent in such difficult circumstances. His childhood dream was to join the army, but his parents did not let him. His fascination with the army later came to the fore through the film 'Prahar'.
This was his first film as a director. However, his entry into the world of drama was also sudden.
He considered senior theater artist and director Vijaya Mehta as his guru. He used to say that along with him, people like Arvind Deshpande, Sulabha Deshpande also had a big contribution in shaping his personality.
He said, "If these people had not come into my life, I would probably have been in the underworld."
How Ashok Saraf helped Nana Patekar
The story of how Nana came from a job to the world of drama is also quite interesting.
At that time he had gone to watch the rehearsal of the play 'Changuna'. He used to keep doing his mischiefs while watching the rehearsals. When the second play was being prepared for the state competition, Sulbhatai said to Arvind Deshpande, "That's the boy, right? He will do this role."
At that time Nana Patekar was working. Therefore, he was confused whether to do job or drama. But Sulbhatai trusted him and gave him this role and Nana got a big platform.
He says that he got more money from 'Purusha' play, so he continued doing this play for many years.
At that time, Nana Patekar used to get Rs 50 for every show, whereas Ashok Saraf used to get Rs 200, which is four times more than him. When Ashok Saraf used to play cards with him, he would deliberately lose eight-ten rupees. Nana Patekar says, "I knew that he was losing on purpose, but I still took it because I needed the money."
Nana Patekar himself has described very well in an interview to Nikhil Wagle how frank and lively Nana Patekar's relationship with Ashok Saraf was.
Nana Patekar says, "Ashok helped me a lot. A lot. He used to give money especially for Ganpati. When I went to return the money, he used to say, Have Patekar become a money man? I told him, Baba, I am only returning the money, I cannot return the time. But these people took great care of me. I used to press Ashok's feet and massage his head a bit and he would give me three rupees. Even today, Ashok can be found somewhere and I When I go to press their feet, they rebuke me, "Are you doing all this now?" I ask them, "How will it work?" They give me five or ten rupees for a head massage and say, "Come on, take it, the inflation has increased."
When Nana Patekar drove a rickshaw for Ashok Saraf
On the other hand, Ashok Saraf has recorded a similar incident related to Nana Patekar in his book 'Bahurupi'.
Ashok Saraf and the entire team had a very dangerous experience during a show named 'Hamidabai Ki Kothi'.
There was a show in a small village. There was no theater in the traditional sense there. The artists started speaking on stage, but the audience could not see anything and could not hear anything. The curtain was brought down within five minutes. The stage was about to be canceled and people were shouting outside.
Ashok Saraf was a well-known and popular face, hence there was a huge uproar outside in the name of Hameed.
Understanding the whole matter, Nana Patekar, who was playing the role in this drama, held Ashok Saraf's hand and took him out through the back passage. Meanwhile, fighting had started in the theatre.
Ashok Saraf writes, "We both reached the road. There was no vehicle there. Nana stopped a cycle rickshaw. The old rickshaw puller was finding it difficult to drive the rickshaw on the uphill road. Nana disembarked him and started pulling the rickshaw himself. Had it not been for Nana, they would have killed me. They would have taken out all their anger on me for not having the drama. Even today, when I remember that incident, I get goosebumps."
From sexual harassment allegations to 'Naam' Foundation
Nana Patekar entered the film world with the film 'Gaman' released in 1978. His character in this was so small that he was not even visible to the audience.
He left an indelible impression of his powerful acting in many films like 'Parinda', 'Krantiveer', 'Prahar', 'Khamoshi', 'Agnisakshi', 'Natsamrat', 'Welcome'.
His acting in the 2014 film 'Prakash Baba Amte' was highly praised. The character of 'Natsamrat' played by him also succeeded in creating a distinct identity. A lot of memes were made on the character played by him in the film 'Welcome'.
He also received Filmfare Awards for films like 'Parinda', 'Angaar', 'Krantiveer' and 'Apharan'.
In particular, he brought on screen an 'angry young man' full of anger against injustice in his special style. Perhaps this is the reason why Raj Thackeray, while paying tribute to him, wrote, "Watching Nana's acting, it felt as if one was watching a pressure cooker of emotions in the lives of common people."
But Nana Patekar's life was also full of ups and downs. He was also accused of sexual exploitation.
Actress Tanushree Dutta had accused Nana Patekar of molestation on the sets of a film in 2008. Both were working in this film.
Nana always denied these allegations. This issue came to light again in 2018 after the #MeToo movement started in India. After this Tanushree Dutta lodged a complaint and Nana remained in the news for negative reasons. But due to lack of sufficient evidence, the police acquitted him of these charges in June 2019.
"What is sexual harassment? We were on the set and there were 200 people sitting in front of us." Saying this, Nana Patekar had rejected all the allegations against him in an interview given to 'Mirror Now'.
In 2015, in the backdrop of drought, Nana Patekar along with Makrand Anaspure started 'Naam Foundation'.
Its objective was to work actively against the severe drought in Maharashtra and the indifference being shown towards the problems of farmers.
He remained close to the leaders of every party.
'Baba Amte is also close and Balasaheb Thackeray is also close, how is it so?' Nikhil Wagle had asked him this question.
Nana says, "I like what I like. I am a bird. It is up to me to decide on which branch to sit. Which fruit to eat and where to beat, it is up to me."
"I don't go to temples. I don't even go to Shirdi etc. If I want to have darshan of Saibaba, I can join hands here and if he is God, he can come here too. It's such a simple logic."
