The films and the performances that won him these prestigious awards were as diverse and different as they could be. The style of acting that Nana Patekar brought to Bollywood in the 1980s was unprecedented. In an industry where slowness of dialogue delivery and ‘thehraav’ were rewarded, Nana brought the angst and rage of the 80s, channelling them through his fast-talking and imbuing his characters with unusual quirks and ticks. This led to him winning three National Film Awards in a nine-year period. A look at the three stellar performances that made Nana Patekar a three-time National Award winner.
Yaraana had Rishi Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit’s star power, while Daraar was hailed for Arbaaz Khan’s chilling debut. But the most successful and most critically acclaimed of these was Agni Sakshi, starring Nana, Manisha Koirala, and Jackie Shroff. Nana played Vishwanath, a sadistic, controlling, possessive, and abusive husband who makes his wife’s life a living hell. Even after she escapes his clutches, he stalks her and her new partner. One particular scene where Nana first assaults Madhu (Manisha) and then applies medicine to her wounds himself was a chilling display of Nana’s range as an actor and the way he owned the screen without overshadowing his co-performers.
Bollywood made three ‘unofficial’ remakes of Julia Roberts’ Sleeping With The Enemy, all released in 1996.
The film was the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 1994 and the first blockbuster of Nana’s career as a leading man. It won him his first National Award and his maiden Filmfare Award. Many are surprised that he never won another National Award , given the kind of strong presence he had in films like Ab Tak Chhappan, Kaala, and Natsamrat, to name a few.
Loosely inspired by On The Waterfront, Vidhu Vinod Chopra ’s Parinda is considered one of the first Bollywood films to set a template for how the underworld and gangsters could be depicted realistically. In this film, Nana Patekar portrayed Anna in a manner that would pave the way for the Manoj Bajpayees and Ajay Devgns to follow suit years later. His Anna lorded over the city. He was kind, but brutal; menacing, but jovial. The kind of restraint Nana brought to this otherwise bloodthirsty character made him all the scarier. Mehul Kumar’s Krantiveer catapulted Nana to stardom. In this film, the actor showed that he could bring ‘performance’ to even a masala entertainer. If not for Nana, Krantiveer would have been a typical 90s’ Bollywood revenge saga, with some social messaging added for good measure. But Nana elevated it to cult classic status. His lines became iconic, and his scenes are ‘viral’ on YouTube three decades later. In Pratap, Nana presented an evolution of Bachchan’s Angry Young Man. This one was frustrated, but not silent. The Best Actor win also meant that Nana was now seen as a ‘leading man’ and not just a character actor. Nana Patekar continued acting through the 2000s and 2010s, delivering many strong performances. He did win a Best Villain Filmfare Award for his role as a kidnapping mafia kingpin in Prakash Jha’s Apaharan, but the National Award eluded him.
