In an interview with The Lallantop, Nana Patekar had said that people forget others after achieving success. But Shah Rukh did not forget. A glimpse of this was seen today even after Nana’s passing. While paying tribute to him, Shah Rukh Khan wrote his longest post ever on social media. But more important than the length of the post is that he remembered Nana’s advice where he had told Shah Rukh to become an actor before becoming a hero. Shah Rukh and Nana worked together in films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Shakti .
Sharing a photo of himself and Nana from Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Shah Rukh wrote that when he first met him, Nana Patekar, he started running his hand through his hair out of respect and hesitation. He swatted my hand away and said, don’t style your hair like a hero . You are an actor. He would not shower you with false praise. He would not tell you what you wanted to hear.
He would only say what you needed to hear. That was Nana—outspoken, a bit tough, honest, and possessing the most beautiful smile. Shah Rukh Khan further writes that his way of showing love was quite unique. First, he would yell at you. Then, in the middle of the third or fourth scolding, you would realize he was embracing you. He loved me, and I loved him too. Shah Rukh mentioned the incidents when Nana used to beat him in matches of carrom. He says he was a mentor, teacher, critic, and a friend who would repeatedly defeat me and everyone around in a game of carrom . And then he would thoroughly enjoy every victory of his.
Nana, your intensity, laughter, madness, and love will always be with us. I wish we had time for more conversations, one more argument, one more cup of tea, and one more game of carrom. You have left a void not just in cinema, but in the hearts of all Indians and people across the world. I can only say that I will miss you very much. I will keep your words close to my heart until the end: don’t lose the actor in the pursuit of becoming a hero. While paying his tribute to Nana, Shah Rukh said that heaven would consider itself lucky to have him. Not only this, he also described Nana as a fine actor and carrom champion, as well as his hero-actor.
