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EYE ON BOLLYWOOD OCTOBER 16, 2026 | The Indian Eye 48

NANA PATEKAR:

The actor who was a bigger

hero than the heroes

With his raw intensity, unconventional screen presence and ability to command

the frame without the trappings of a traditional Bollywood star, Nana Patekar built

a legacy in which the character actor often overshadowed the leading man.

OUR BUREAU by rage against corruption, commu-
nal hatred and political hypocrisy.
Mumbai / Los Angeles
His impassioned speeches became
or much of his career, Nana the film’s defining feature. The role
Patekar occupied an unusu- won him the National Film Award
Fal place in Hindi cinema. He for Best Actor and demonstrated
was rarely the conventional romantic that he could carry a mainstream
hero, did not possess the polished film without adopting the familiar
appearance expected of a Bollywood grammar of the Hindi-film superstar.
superstar and seldom seemed inter- His versatility, however, was nev-
ested in the rituals of stardom. Yet, er limited to anger and intensity. In
when he appeared on screen, it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi:
often difficult to look anywhere else. The Musical (1996), Patekar played
He could enter a film dominat- Joseph, the deaf father of Manisha
ed by a leading man and leave au- Koirala’s character. The perfor-
diences remembering his own per- mance revealed a quieter, deeply
formance. His face, voice, silences vulnerable actor, one who could
and sudden eruptions of anger could communicate affection, frustration
become the film’s most enduring mo- and heartbreak without relying on
ments. Patekar did not need to be the elaborate dialogue. It was a reminder
hero of the story to become its most that beneath the booming voice and
commanding presence. explosive temper was an artist capa-
That was his particular gift: he ble of extraordinary restraint.
made character actors look indis- Patekar could also surprise au-
pensable and leading men look ordi- diences with comedy. In Welcome
nary. (2007), he played Uday Shetty, a
His breakthrough in Hindi cine- gangster whose attempts to maintain
ma came with Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s dignity and control amid mounting
Parinda (1989), in which he played chaos produced some of the film’s
Anna, a Mumbai underworld don funniest moments. His exasperated
whose unpredictable violence con- expressions and increasingly des-
cealed a deeply disturbed personali- perate insistence on order became
ty. It was a frightening performance as memorable as the film’s princi-
precisely because Patekar resisted pal comic set pieces. The character
making the character a conventional introduced him to a generation that
villain. Anna could appear almost af- man without making them any less watch, and that was precisely what might not have known his more de-
fectionate before turning terrifyingly disturbing. In Angaar, Agni Sakshi made them memorable. manding dramatic work. The line
violent. The role earned him the Na- and Apaharan, he explored differ- Then came Krantiveer (1994), between menace and humour, which
tional Film Award for Best Support- ent shades of menace, obsession and perhaps the clearest illustration of he had always navigated instinctive-
ing Actor and established him as one moral ambiguity. He was equally the idea that Patekar could be a big- ly, became one of his greatest comic
of the most compelling performers capable of playing authority figures ger hero than the heroes. As Pratap strengths.
of his generation. whose apparent strength concealed Narayan Tilak, a disillusioned man His career also extended beyond
Patekar’s genius lay in his ability complicated inner lives. His char- who finds a cause worth fighting for, Hindi cinema. In Marathi theatre
to make disturbing characters hu- acters were rarely comfortable to he delivered a performance driven Continued on next page... >>

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