HE was always brutally honest... with his craft, with his calling, with his social responsibility, and with his bold views. Nana Patekar would never mince words while pouring out his mind, no matter the stature or position of the person at the other end. He lived cinema with the same passion as he lived his life -- with a ramrod straight spine and with a unique take of his own. The legend has chosen his exit in his own style, leaving the world of cinema in utter shock and making the people around him rue the fact that there would be no more dose from a brutally candid truth-teller.

The celluloid world has seen stars and superstars lighting up the screen with their extraordinary acting skills. But then, there was Nana, oozing out an altogether different energy he had acquired during his Marathi theater days. Nana would simply enter the skin of the character and live his role beyond the directorial instructions. His passion had become a pivot for his seamless journey from character to character, in Marathi and Hindi cinema. There was always a unique trait to the roles Nana portrayed taking them to a different plane. Whether it was a rage-filled but cool ‘Anna Seth’ in ‘Parinda’ or the mischievously endearing ‘Udaybhai’ in ‘Welcome’, Nana left an indelible mark on the audience. This uniqueness set him apart from the other stars in the pack as he elevated even a character-actor’s role for an equal place right beside the lead cast.

 

Nana’s success in the film world cannot be measured only as an actor giving his best as per the demands of the role. He was much more than mere being a talented actor. He was a deep thinker, a philosopher who would study the mentality of the character assigned to him and match its context with the script. Nana would dive deep straight into the script to study its nuances and relate his character with the overall mood. It was a habit he had developed during his days of struggle while doing Marathi theater. In fact, it was theater that introduced Nana to the actual depth of art and craft, something he managed to master as he matured into a legendary performer on the silver screen for decades.

This experience helped Nana bring all the intricacies of a character to life in a scene. The frustration of a jobless young man in ‘Ankush’ became a template for films on the same subject in the later years as Nana poured amazing intensity into his role. The same fire had helped him portray a cold-blooded killer in Marathi blockbuster ‘Maaficha Saakshidar’ that was based on the infamous Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders which took place in Pune in the late 70s. It was a great achievement for Nana Patekar to use similar rage in ‘Parinda’ in different contexts and settings. He turned the coolness of ‘Maaficha Saakshidar’ in executing murders into delivering dead-pan instructions to his henchmen to wipe out his enemies as ‘Anna’.

 

For Nana Patekar, acting was a medium to explore the various layers of emotions. His poetic attributes would soar high in philosophical monologues in ‘Wajood’ and ‘Thodasa Rumani Ho Jaaye’ and his fierce nationalism would flow in the violent but poetic climax in ‘Prahaar’. He could easily slip into horseplay in ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ and bring the deadly side of an antagonist in ‘Agnisakshi’. The vast spectrum he traversed in different roles has now turned into a zone where only legends with exceptional skills and undying love for art can enter.

Nana’s sudden departure has shaken many worlds. The farm widows, who were provided a new lease of life by the philanthropist, have lost their biggest support. The NAAM Foundation, seeking to end farm distress due to the severe water crisis in Maharashtra, has lost its most straightforward and bold voice. Nana was the flagbearer of the farming community, taking even those in power head-on with his brutal opinion to show them the mirror. The Defence Forces have lost a loyal servant who was right up with them in the battlefield during the Kargil War. And his fans have lost their charming screen icon.

So long, Commando!