Nana Patekar, who passed away on October 8 at 75, leaves behind a legacy of some of Indian cinema’s most iconic performances. Audiences knew him best for his gritty, intense characters, often the angry man troubled by the state of the country, yet he had a brilliant comic streak as well. His impeccable timing made ‘Welcome’ and ‘Welcome Back’ a joy to watch. Still, few are aware of how he landed the part in ‘Welcome’ and what made him say yes to the unforgettable Uday Shetty.
How Anees Bazmee approached Nana Patekar for ‘Welcome’
Filmmaker Anees Bazmee appeared on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show Season 2’ and shared how he got Nana Patekar to play Uday in Welcome. He said he had long admired Nana and felt that whenever the veteran actor took on a comedy role, he would shine and show audiences how comedy should really be done. Anees also described the funny phone conversation he had with Nana, saying, “I called him and told him I want to meet you. He replied, ‘Kai ko? (Why?)’ I told him that I want to narrate a film to you.“See More: National Award winnig actor Nana Patekar passes away at 75
Why Nana Patekar asked Anees Bazmee to ‘swear on your mom’
When Anees visited Nana’s home to narrate the film, the veteran actor stopped him short, saying, “I don’t want to listen to the story, you swear on your mom that this film is right for me and I should do it.” Anees, however, held his ground, insisting that Nana hear it out, and ended up narrating the story for nearly three hours.According to Anees, Nana embraced him after the narration and said, “Main kacchi mitti hai, tere set pe aayega, jis roop mein dhalna hai dhaal lena (I’m like wet clay. I’ll come to your set, and you can mould me into whatever form you want).” Anees added that although many claim Nana was short-tempered and hard to work with, he found him to be among the easiest actors he had ever worked with.
Nana Patekar as Uday Shetty in ‘Welcome’
In ‘Welcome’ (2007), Nana delivered one of the most unforgettable comic performances of his career. Under Anees Bazmee’s direction, he set aside the serious, intense image he was often associated with and fully embraced comedy. His character, Uday Shetty, was a feared underworld don with one big wish: to see his sister Sanjana married into a respectable family. Uday could scare almost anyone, but when it came to his sister’s love life, he was left helpless and increasingly frustrated.The on-screen chemistry between Nana and Anil Kapoor, who played his partner-in-crime Majnu Bhai, was the heart of the film. Their endless bickering and over-the-top reactions won over the internet and turned both characters into icons. Uday Shetty’s dialogues, such as “Control, Uday, control” and “Kya karun, maar bhi nahi sakta isse, pyaar jo karta hai mujhse,” became part of popular culture. The film, which also starred Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Katrina Kaif and Anil Kapoor in lead roles, was a big box office hit. Nana returned for the sequel, Welcome Back, but was not part of the franchise’s latest film, ‘Welcome To The Jungle’.See More: Nana Patekar passes away: PM Modi hails veteran star’s contribution to Hindi and Marathi cinema
What happened in Nana Patekar’s final hours
In the early hours of October 8, Nana was rushed to the hospital at around 4.30 am, and by 5.30 am he had been declared dead. The Manipal Hospital doctor said that doctors performed cardiac massage for 45 minutes to an hour, but he couldn’t be saved. The doctor also revealed that at about 2.30 am, Nana had messaged a friend to say he wasn’t feeling well. The friend saw the message only later because of the late hour, then called him and went to his house at around 4 am, where he found Nana sweating and gradually becoming unconscious. His caretaker was then sent to the hospital in an ambulance. The matter was treated as a medico-legal case, so a police case was filed and his body was taken to Goa Medical College for a post-mortem. His friends and caretaker were with him, but his family was not present. Nana is survived by his wife, Neelkanti, and son, Malhar Patekar. The actor also had two brothers, Ashok and Dilip Patekar.