Stories
Why Nana Patekar Refused Stage Natsamrat Over Heart Attack Fear
N
News18•08-10-2026, 17:01
Why Nana Patekar Refused Stage Natsamrat Over Heart Attack Fear
- •Veteran actor Nana Patekar once revealed he refused to perform the intense role in Natsamrat on stage due to a fear of suffering a heart attack.
- •Nana explained that previous legendary actors who played the lead role on stage, such as Vikram Gokhale and Dr Shriram Lagoo, had all died of heart attacks.
- •To avoid the extreme emotional toll of repeatedly performing the character live, he chose to star in the 2016 film adaptation instead.
- •In the acclaimed 2016 film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, Nana portrayed Ganpatrao Ramchandra Belwalkar, delivering one of the most memorable performances of his career.
Key Questions Answered
Nana Patekar refused to perform the play Natsamrat on stage because he feared the intense emotional toll and physical stress of the role would lead to a heart attack, noting that previous actors who played the lead on stage had died of heart attacks after multiple shows.
Nana Patekar played the iconic lead role of Ganpatrao Ramchandra Belwalkar in the 2016 Marathi film adaptation of Natsamrat, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar.
Nana Patekar publicly praised legendary stage actors such as Dr. Shriram Lagoo, Vikram Gokhale, Datta Bhat, and Chandrakant Gokhale for their extraordinary, life-investing performances in the original stage production of Natsamrat.
