Writer Ranbir Pushp recently shared two anecdotes about Nana Patekar that offer a different perspective on the actor’s fiery public image. Pushp, who worked with Nana in Partho Ghosh’s 1996 psychological thriller Agni Sakshi, recalled an incident in which the actor decided to give up plans to buy a luxury car worth Rs 1.5 crore after watching news reports about families affected by farmer suicides. According to Pushp, Nana was deeply affected by what he saw and decided to use the money to help those families instead. “He was watching news one day and he saw families grieving after so many farmers committed suicide. The next day he was supposed to buy a Rs 1.5 crore car, but the next day he calls his artiste friend and tell him to make Rs 15K cheques and distribute it among the families of all the farmers. The one who wipes the farmers’ tears can’t cause harm to anyone. He formed the NAAM Foundation, which has collected countless funds till today. He lives at a farm himself,” Ranbir told Siddharth Kannan.
Pushp said Nana eventually chose to distribute the car money among families affected by the farmer suicides, with Rs 15,000 given to each family. He also spoke about Nana’s association with the NAAM Foundation, an organisation formed to support farmers and their families. Pushp believes that the actor is often misunderstood because of his temper. He rejected the idea that Nana’s anger is necessarily harmful to film producers, explaining that the actor’s reactions often come from issues he strongly believes are right. He recalled another incident involving public cleanliness that helped him understand the reason behind Nana’s anger. According to Pushp, Nana once stopped his car after seeing someone throw a plastic bottle onto the road.
“He stopped the car and picked up the bottle. He went ahead and stopped the guy driving that car at the traffic signal. He asked him to roll down the window. Nana told him, Who will keep Bharat swachh (clean)? Gandhi ji is gone, but you’re still around on this planet. So, is it not duty as a citizen of this country to keep it clean? Should I throw the bottle inside your car, assuming it’s a dustbin?” he said. These incidents, according to Pushp, show why Nana’s anger can sometimes come from his strong sense of responsibility rather than personal hostility. His recollections present a side of the actor that exists alongside his well known temperament and long career in Hindi cinema.
