Actor Nana Patekar with tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain at the first edition of ‘Vasantotsav’ music festival at Ramanbaug New English School in Pune on Feb 8, 2008
Saraf earned Rs 250 per show while Patekar earned Rs 50. When Patekar hit serious financial trouble, Saraf silently gave him a blank cheque and said, “Withdraw whatever you need from the Rs 15,000 in my account. Patekar withdrew Rs 3,000. That lesson stayed with him when he made his film debut with ‘Gaman’ in 1978.
We have lost two pillars of Marathi cinema, Vikram Gokhale and now Nana.
I was hoping to work with him again, but could not find a subject worthy of his talent,” he said. Pune: Long before his voice could slice through silence and his intensity could own the screen, Nana Patekar was a restless young actor fighting for space on the Marathi stage. Those who knew him then don’t remember a star in the making, just a hungry performer driven by instinct, grit and stubborn commitment to his craft. Their friendship was forged in hard times. Between rehearsals, they passed hours playing cards to distract themselves from an uncertain future. His years under theatre legend Vijaya Mehta shaped his understanding of acting. He learnt that a character’s true drama lies not in dialogue but in the conflicts simmering beneath it. Director Mahesh Manjrekar , who knew Patekar since their theatre days and later directed him in ‘Natsamrat’, spoke of the loss with visible emotion. “This is my biggest loss after my parents. I still cannot believe he is no more.
I kept wondering whether the news I was seeing was even true,” Shinde said. Whether it was a ghazal, natyasangeet or a raga, his observations could be remarkably perceptive,” Deshpande said, adding, “The greatest lesson I learnt from Nana had little to do with music. Beyond cinema, they worked together through NAAM Foundation, supporting farmers and drought-affected communities across Maharashtra. I do not know what to say. For singer Rahul Deshpande, Patekar was family. He spoke of Patekar’s affection for his grandfather and the way the actor later embraced him like a younger brother, offering guidance, encouragement and honest criticism. Patekar also took a personal interest in Deshpande’s Vasantotsav festival, pushing him to think bigger and international. “What many may not know is that Nana had an exceptionally sharp ear for music. It was about how to live. Despite everything he had achieved, there was no pretence about him. He remained simple, grounded and extraordinarily generous. ”
Actor Sayaji Shinde struggled to process the news and remembered speaking to him only a day earlier. “We were talking so well yesterday and suddenly this happened.