Nana Patekar was never merely a hero on the screen. He played soldiers, policemen, gangsters, politicians and ordinary men with such intensity that audiences often forgot where the character ended and Nana Patekar began. But his greatest roles were not written by a screenwriter. They were lived.
As India bids farewell to the veteran actor at 75, his legacy extends far beyond cinema. It includes a remarkable association with the Indian Army and years of work for farmers and drought-hit communities in Maharashtra.
The actor who went to Kargil
In 1999, when the Kargil War broke out, Patekar did something few Bollywood stars would even contemplate. He stepped away from the glamour of cinema and went to the war zone.
Patekar had earlier undergone training with the Maratha Light Infantry. During the Kargil conflict, with permission from then Defence Minister George Fernandes, he spent time with Indian soldiers and became part of a Quick Reaction Team. He remained with the troops for around 60 days, sharing the extraordinarily difficult conditions faced by soldiers.
For an actor who had famously played an Army officer in Prahaar, this was the moment when cinema met reality.
There were no cameras rolling for a movie, no retakes and no carefully written dialogue. He was simply there, because he wanted to be there, with the men who were actually defending the country. Real patriotism never needed a publicity campaign.
From Kargil to Maharashtra’s drought-hit villages
But Patekar’s real-life heroism did not end when the guns fell silent.
The actor later turned his attention to Maharashtra’s farmers, particularly those struggling with drought, water shortages and the devastating consequences of crop failures.
Along with actor Makarand Anaspure, he became the driving force behind the NAAM Foundation, which worked with distressed farming families and communities in drought-prone regions, particularly Marathwada and Vidarbha.
The organisation’s work went beyond simply handing out cheques. Its initiatives included river widening, lake desilting and watershed structures, aimed at improving water availability and conservation in rural Maharashtra.
Patekar understood something important: giving a farmer money may help him survive a crisis, but helping a village secure water can change its future.
He also spoke openly about farmer suicides and repeatedly urged society to take responsibility rather than simply waiting for governments to solve every problem.
A different kind of farewell
Actors leave behind films. Great actors leave behind characters. But Nana Patekar leaves behind something more difficult to recreate – an example.
He showed courage in Kargil, compassion in Maharashtra’s drought-hit villages and conviction in speaking for people who rarely had a microphone.
On screen, Nana Patekar was a hero because the script demanded it. In real life, he became one because nobody was writing the script.
And perhaps that is the most fitting farewell to Nana- not just farewell to an actor, but farewell to a man who repeatedly chose to stand where ordinary people needed someone to stand.
Om Shanti.
