Nana PatekarFrom infopedia the free encyclopedia

Rise to Stardom (1988–1999)

The late 1980s and the 1990s were the most important years of Nana Patekar's career. In just over a decade, he went from a respected character actor to one of the biggest and most distinctive stars in Hindi cinema. He won three National Film Awards and several Filmfare Awards in this period, and his intense acting style stood apart from the glamorous heroes of the time.

Salaam Bombay! (1988): International Recognition

Nana's rise began with Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay!, a realistic drama about street children in Mumbai. He played Baba, a cold, manipulative drug dealer. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. This brought his work to audiences around the world.

Parinda (1989): The Breakthrough

His real breakthrough came with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's crime drama Parinda, which starred Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Madhuri Dixit. Nana played Anna Seth, a ruthless Mumbai gangster haunted by a deep fear of fire. He made Anna both terrifying and unpredictable, and the character became one of the most memorable villains in Hindi cinema.

The performance won him the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Parinda is now considered a classic of Indian crime cinema.

Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991): The Director's Chair

In 1991, Nana took on a bigger challenge: he wrote, directed and starred in Prahaar: The Final Attack. He played Major Chavan, a tough Indian Army officer who fights crime and corruption in the city after a personal tragedy. The cast included Madhuri Dixit and Dimple Kapadia.

To make the film authentic, Nana went through three months of real military training with the Indian Army. This experience began his long association with the armed forces, and he later joined the Territorial Army. The film earned him a Filmfare nomination for Best Story.

Versatility in the Early 1990s

• Angaar (1992): He played a dangerous gangster opposite Jackie Shroff and won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain.
• Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992): He played a supporting role alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Amrita Singh, and earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
• Tirangaa (1993): He played the fiery police officer Inspector Shivajirao Wagle opposite veteran star Raaj Kumar. Their on-screen clashes and dialogue exchanges made the film a big success, and it brought him another Filmfare nomination.

Krantiveer (1994): The Peak

Krantiveer, directed by Mehul Kumar, became the defining film of Nana Patekar's career. He played Pratap Narayan Tilak, a carefree man who becomes a voice for ordinary people fighting injustice and corruption. The cast also included Dimple Kapadia, Atul Agnihotri and Mamta Kulkarni.

His angry speeches, especially the climax scene with the line "Aa gaye meri maut ka tamasha dekhne…", became iconic. The film was one of the biggest hits of 1994. It won him three major awards:

• the National Film Award for Best Actor
• the Filmfare Award for Best Actor
• the Screen Award for Best Actor

That same year he also showed a lighter side in Abhay, a children's film in which he played a ghost. In Hum Dono (1995), he shared the screen with Rishi Kapoor.

1996: Two Very Different Performances

• Agni Sakshi (1996): He played a frightening, obsessive and abusive husband opposite Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff. The role won him his third National Film Award, again for Best Supporting Actor. The film was also a commercial success.
• Khamoshi: The Musical (1996): This was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's first film as director. Nana played Joseph, a deaf father whose daughter (Manisha Koirala) falls in love with music. He delivered his performance largely through sign language and expression. It is often called one of his finest roles, and it earned him a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor.

The Late 1990s: A Unique Kind of Star

By the late 1990s Nana had become a star on his own terms, known for unusual, intense characters:

• Ghulam-E-Mustafa (1997): He played a feared but loyal enforcer with a softer side.
• Yeshwant (1997): He played an honest, rebellious police officer. The film's famous line "Ek machhar saala aadmi ko hijda bana deta hai" is still widely quoted. He also sang playback for the film.
• Yugpurush (1998) and Wajood (1998): In Wajood, he played a man with schizophrenia opposite Madhuri Dixit, and he sang playback once again.
• Hu Tu Tu (1999): He appeared in Gulzar's political drama.
• Kohram (1999): He starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan, sharing the screen with the industry's biggest legend.

Legacy of This Era

By 1999 Nana Patekar had achieved what few actors manage. He was respected by critics, loved by audiences and successful at the box office. He made anger, honesty and moral struggle his signature, and he proved that an actor without a typical hero image could still become a major star.