Stories
Remembering Nana Patekar: The Irreverent Icon Who Redefined Cinema
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CNBC TV18•10-10-2026, 01:55
Remembering Nana Patekar: The Irreverent Icon Who Redefined Cinema
- •A resurfaced video highlights an old playful disagreement between Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor over the casting of the 1990 film Parinda.
- •Patekar's iconic portrayal of the villain Anna in Parinda earned him his first National Film Award and marked his major career breakthrough.
- •Filmmaker Amol Palekar recalled Patekar's immense dedication when he worked tirelessly to transform himself for a soft, poetic role in Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen.
- •Known for his mercurial temper, authenticity, and lack of artifice, Patekar paved the way for unconventional actors like Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpayee.
- •Beyond cinema, Patekar co-founded The Naam Foundation in 2015 to actively address agrarian crises and water scarcity in India.
- •His complex legacy also includes being accused of sexual misconduct by Tanushree Dutta in 2008, a case in which he was later cleared by the court due to lack of evidence.
Key Questions Answered
Nana Patekar's breakthrough performance was as the haunting villain Anna in the 1990 film Parinda, which earned him his first National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor after Anil Kapoor was cast instead of him.
Nana Patekar co-founded The Naam Foundation in 2015 to extend his celebrity for social responsibility and help mitigate the severe water and agrarian crisis.
In 2008, actor Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct and intimidation, which triggered India's #MeToo movement 10 years later, though Patekar was eventually cleared of all charges by the court due to a lack of evidence.
