Superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday paid a heartfelt tribute to senior actor Nana Patekar, remembering his “Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman” co-star as a “masterful actor and an unbeatable carrom champion”, who gave him an invaluable advice very early on in his career. “Hero banne ke chakar mein actor mat khona’ (Don’t lose the actor in you while pursuing stardom),” recalled Shah Rukh, describing his meeting before they collaborated on the 1992 romantic comedy.
Patekar died in the early hours of Thursday after suffering a heart attack. The 75-year-old was found unconscious at his Goa apartment and was taken to a private hospital where he was declared dead. “When I first met him, out of awe and awkwardness I fiddled with my hair. He slapped my hand away and said ‘hero ki tarah Baal mat bana…tu actor hai’! He didn’t flatter you. He didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear. He told you what you needed to hear. That was Nana. Straightforward. Rough, honest and had the most beautiful smile,” Shah Rukh said in a post on X.
According to the superstar, Patekar had a strange way of showing affection. “He would shout at you first, and then somewhere between the third or fourth insult, you realised you were being hugged. He loved me and I loved him back. He was a mentor, a teacher, a critic and a friend who beat me and everyone else around him in carrom game after game and relished his victories.
“Nana your intensity, laughter, madness and love will always stay with us. I just wish we had time to have more conversations, another argument, another cup of tea and a game of carrom,” he said. Shah Rukh, who also worked with the veteran star in the 2002 movie “Shakti: The Power”, said Patekar’s death leaves a void not only in the world of cinema but in the hearts of all Indians and the world.
“All I can say is, I will miss you dearly and carry your words in my heart till the end of time….’hero banne ke chakar mein actor mat khona’. May your soul rest in peace Nana and Allah bless you. “The Heavens will be blessed to have you… a masterful actor and an unbeatable carrom champion. Love you and miss you dearly!! Too soon my Hero Actor! RIP,” he said.
Directed by Aziz Mirza, “Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman” featured Shah Rukh as Raju, a young civil engineering graduate who arrives in Bombay with dreams of making it big. Nana Patekar played Jai, a street performer and Raju’s friend who becomes his guide and confidant in the city. The role had earned Patekar a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
