Nana refused his Golmaal Again fee, asked Rohit to donate it

Rohit Shetty has shared an emotional goodbye to Nana Patekar, who died at his Goa home on Thursday after suffering chest pain. He was 75. The filmmaker’s Instagram tribute remembered an actor who gave him blunt feedback, late-night calls, and a quiet act of generosity on the set of Golmaal Again.

The tribute is part farewell and part thank-you: it captures a friendship built on straight talk rather than industry niceties.

Late-night calls and an honest critic

Rohit wrote that Nana always called him “Shetty” and skipped the hellos. His familiar opener was “Aye Shetty, kya kar raha hai?” Rohit said he would sometimes pretend not to recognise the voice just to irritate Nana and hear him reply, “Saale, Nana bol raha hoon.”

That no-formality bond carried into film talk. Nana was, in Rohit’s words, one of his “biggest and most honest critics” after every release. He would say when a film worked, when it did not, and when it felt like a hit was being forced. Nana also reminded Rohit, “Tu khud star hai tujhe itne stars ki zaroorat nahi hai.”

The Golmaal Again fee

One memory Rohit says he will never forget is Nana’s cameo in the 2017 comedy Golmaal Again. When Rohit asked about his fee, Nana refused. He told Rohit to take the number of an orphanage and donate the money there instead.

For Rohit, that small exchange sums up Dada: straightforward, unfiltered, generous and genuine. He ended the tribute by saying he will miss being called “Shetty.”

Why the memory lands

Nana’s gesture matters beyond one film. It shows that a senior actor can value the work and the relationship over a pay cheque. It also shows what honest feedback looks like in an industry where people often avoid saying “this did not work.”

For younger actors and filmmakers, the story is a small masterclass in collaboration: keep people who will tell you the truth, and reward their honesty with gratitude rather than distance. Nana did not ask for credit for the donation; he asked only that the money reach children who needed it.

For fans, the tribute is a reminder of the trust behind long creative partnerships:

• Keep a critic close who will tell you when a film does not land.
• Pay good gestures forward; Nana redirected his fee to an orphanage.
• Trust the material more than the size of the star cast.

Nana’s last rites are scheduled at his farmhouse in Donje, near Pune, with full state honours.

Source: India Today