Veteran actor Shivaji Satam remembered Nana Patekar at a condolence meeting held in his honour. The gathering, titled ‘athvanitle Nana (Nana in our memories), was held at P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy complex in Prabhadevi in Mumbai, where several members of the film industry came together to remember the actor and the impact he had on their lives.
Shivaji remembered Nana and it meant looking back at nearly 40 years of friendship, countless personal memories and the support he received from the actor at crucial moments in his life. The next day, our director, Partho Ghosh, told me, ‘Come at 12 noon, and I’ll let you go by 8 pm. Eventually, after saying no several times, I agreed,” he revealed. The poor producer stood there without saying a word,” he revealed.
Because of him that I found my footing in Hindi cinema, we had known each other for nearly 40 years, and it was. Because there was a police officer’s role in the film, but I wasn’t ready to take it up at the time, the producer called me. Because he did more for me than even my own brother might have, he went onto reveal, “I loved Nana dearly. Because of Nana, this was possible.
He recalled how Nana encouraged him to take up Hindi films and even stepped in when he felt his friend was not being paid enough. When I heard the news, I honestly couldn’t believe it. I have countless memories with Nana. He was the one who pulled me into Hindi films. He convinced me, saying, ‘You should do this. You must do it.’” Satam recalled that Nana was instrumental in getting him his first Hindi film, Yashwant. “My first film was Yashwant. When I refused, the producer called Nana, who then spoke to me in his own way and convinced me. Their conversation did not end with the film, though. When Nana later learnt how much Satam had been paid, he was upset that his friend had not consulted him before agreeing to the amount. “After the shoot was over, I met Nana again, and he asked me about the payment I had received. He then scolded me, asking why I hadn’t consulted him before accepting the payment. But Nana wouldn’t listen. He made the producers stand for two hours, just like teachers used to make us stand in school. Satam recalled how Nana spoke to the people involved in the film and helped arrange a schedule that allowed him to return home at a reasonable hour. My wife was diagnosed with cancer while we were shooting for the film Ghulam-E-Musthafa. He spoke to the director and everyone else involved. He made sure I was taken care of and supported me like a real brother. There are so many stories like this. He was an incredibly lovable person. Sometimes, he would suddenly call me and ask, ‘What are you doing? Come to the farm immediately! That was just the kind of person Nana was.”
Speaking at the prayer meet, Shivaji Satam, known as ACP Pradyuman from CID TV Show, said, “Nana passed away so suddenly. The producer told me that Nana Patekar, my friend, had recommended my name. He said he was initially reluctant to take up the role of a police officer, but Nana personally convinced him to give it a shot. When I told him the amount, he got really angry. He said, ‘You should have asked me at least once! After that, he called the producers himself,” the actor further said. “I had specifically told him not to question the producers or speak to them about it. I told Nana that I wouldn’t be able to continue with the film, but he refused to accept that.
