Nana Patekar Will Always Be Krantiveer, Says Mehul Kumar

For director Mehul Kumar, Nana Patekar was not simply a performer he worked with. In an interview with Filmfare, he describes a bond that went beyond the set, calling the late actor family and saying he was already planning another film with him.

A three-film partnership no other director had

Kumar points out that Patekar worked with him on three features, something the actor did not do with any other director. That collaboration gives readers a ready-made rewatch list:

• Tirangaa (1993) — with Raaj Kumar
• Krantiveer (1994) — with Patekar as the solo hero
• Kohram (1999) — with Amitabh Bachchan

Kumar calls Krantiveer an evergreen film and the best of Patekar’s career, adding that it brought the actor awards nationally and internationally.

The Krantiveer name never left him

After watching Krantiveer, Dilip Kumar told the director, as Mehul Kumar recalls, “Mehul, for as long as Nana lives, the name Krantiveer will stay with him.” The title, he says, has stayed with the actor even today.

Kumar’s own words carry the same weight: “Nana Patekar is Krantiveer, and he always will be.”

A simple technique, then no trouble on set

Mehul Kumar explains why the partnership worked. He would narrate the full story to Patekar scene by scene before shooting began. Once that was done, there was no need for further discussions, no writer calls on set and no friction.

The problem, he says, only came if a film shot something different from what had been narrated. Keep the word, he argues, and the shoot ran smoothly.

That practical note could be read as a small directing lesson: lock the script and the performance with an actor like Patekar before the first day of filming, rather than reworking scenes later.

No star demands, old clothes and a true heart

Kumar remembers Patekar as completely down to earth. He had no requests about rooms or food, ate with everyone and kept the set light with jokes. For Krantiveer, he gave his old clothes for the slum-dwelling character and wore them throughout the film, even bringing an old pair of chappals. Kumar replaced the clothes with new ones.

Outside films, the director says, Patekar was generous: he worked for farmers, shared his earnings and helped the poor. The emotional core, as Kumar sees it, was simple. Patekar could not stand lies, pretence or drama, but once he trusted someone, he would do anything for them.

Why this matters for filmi fans

The tribute is more than a personal memory. It explains why Krantiveer still defines Nana Patekar for so many viewers. A character rooted in a slum, played with old clothes and absolute conviction, became the identity that outlived the run time — and now the man himself.

For those who want to understand that legacy, the three Mehul Kumar titles are the place to start, with Krantiveer at the centre.

Source: Filmfare