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FILM INTERVIEW: NANA PATEKAR

Veteran Actor Wants Blowhorn, Stars on Big Screen in Reliance’s Action-Thriller ‘Shagird'

By: Simran Mody
May 11, 2011

Nana Patekar in 'Shagrid' on buzzinebollywood.comNana Patekar knew the transition from acting to directing would not be an easy one, but the leading man in Shagird has apparently found his calling and is already working on his second directorial venture. Releasing on May 13th, the Reliance Big Pictures production that is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and stars Rimi Sen, Zakir Hussain, Mohit Ahlawat, and Anurag Kashyap is the latest in the line of films headlining Mr. Patekar the actor. A veteran Bollywood thespian who has entertained Hindi film fans for about 20 years, Mr. Patekar now hopes to write and direct an atypical romance film chronicling the courtship of a 25-year-old woman by a 50-year-old man.

 
“I have written a script. I may direct it any moment. I don't know exactly when. I don't think it's an issue-based film. In my film, the actress would be of 24-25 years of age, and the actor would be almost of 50,” Mr. Patekar told the Indian press. “I would be acting in the film. If I get a 'buddha khushad' person like him (for the 50-year-old character), then good...or else I will only act. About the actress, it’s not decided; let’s see who wants to work with me. I may start the film this year or hopefully next year.”
 
As Mr. Patekar’s vision potentially comes to life, it is interesting who he draws his filmmaking inspiration from. Specifically, he told the Indian press that David Lean’s 1970 film Ryan’s Daughter serves as a basis for his potential story idea.
 
In drawing on Mr. Lean’s cinematic classic, one thing Mr. Patekar was clear to point out is his project may not necessarily be Ryan’s Daughter with a masala Bollywood twist (read: the inclusion of item numbers).
 
“I may have item songs, I don’t know... but like 'Seekh Le … Aankhon Mein Aakhen Dal’ from Munna Bhai MBBS ... it was an item song, but it was an inherent part of the film. The man was dying. The song was sensible,” said Mr. Paletkar, who first tried his hand at controlling the bullhorn in the 1991 film Prahaar: The Final Attack, which starred Madhuri Dixit.
 
Item songs and masala films aside, Mr. Patekar tries to remain focused on the present day and what current times have in store for him is this week’s release of Dhulia’s Shagird, a gripping saga chronicling Delhi Police’s criminal branch. In Shagird, Mr. Patekar narrates ACP Hanumant Singh, a character who is reportedly based upon Rajbir Singh, the man gunned down in 2008 by a property dealer.
 
Nana Patekar in 'Shagrid' on buzzinebollywood.comMr. Patekar, who was a disciple of figurative art at Mumbai’s J.J. School of Arts, fittingly portrays a police officer in Shagird. In developing his character in the film, the Delhi police force granted the actor insider access to the department there, members of the Shagird production team announced, and even allowed several shots and scenes to take place at India Gate.
 
The special relationship between Mr. Patekar and law enforcement developed early on, as the thespian-turned-filmmaker leant his time to officers in the best and worst of times.
 
One person who was grateful to Mr. Patekar’s relationship with law enforcement was the film’s director, Mr. Dhulia.
 
“While shooting for the film, I usually found police to be very warm to Nana Patekar. I thought for a long time it was because they love him as an actor,” Mr. Dhulia told the press. “However, later I realized that he had a very special bond, and his permissions never were a hassle for us.”
 
Just the same, both Mr. Patekar and Mr. Dhulia are both hoping to experience zero hassles come Friday the Thirteenth, as Shagird will compete with Stanley Ka Dabba and Love You … Mr. Kalakaar for box office supremacy.