Sonali Kulkarni recalls Nana Patekar’s pregnancy care

For Sonali Kulkarni, Nana Patekar was never just an acting heavyweight. He became a “dear friend” who could call her anytime. After his death, Kulkarni told Mid-Day and revisited a bond that began with fear and ended in warmth. The veteran star was cremated with full state honours at his Pune farmhouse, where his son lit the funeral pyre and thousands gathered to say goodbye.

From being scared to calling him ‘Nana sir’

Kulkarni worked with Patekar across three films, each one moving her closer to him.

• Taxi No 9211: their first project together
• Deool (2011): the Marathi film that holds the pregnancy memory
• Dr Prakash Baba Amte (2014): their third collaboration

She admitted she began by being scared of “The Nana Patekar.” By the end, she was calling him “Nana sir.” The relationship, she said, had “a beautiful arc” of friendship and admiration, and there was comfort enough to make fun of each other.

A small act of care during Deool

The moment that stays with her came during the promotions of Deool. Kulkarni was almost eight and a half months pregnant at the music launch. When Patekar got to know, he turned “so soft” with her and looked after her through the event.

He also joked about the occasion. “This is the first time I am posing with a heroine who is pregnant,” she recalled him saying. The line captures the easy, affectionate place their equation had reached.

The actor who lived on his own terms

Kulkarni also remembered his craft. To her, Patekar’s acting never felt scripted. She cited a Taxi No 9211 train scene where her character was leaving; by the time his character rushed to see her, the train had left. The longing, pathos and feeling of loss on his face showed what he could do as a performer.

She used to compliment his comedy in films such as Welcome, and he liked hearing it. Off screen too, he gave freely, spent on others and complimented people generously. Patekar lived life on his own terms, she said, and his heart beat for farmers, with much of that care flowing through Naam Foundation, his NGO.

Kulkarni is still processing the news. “Bohot pyaar diya hai Nana sir ne,” she said – he gave a lot of love. She believes he would have hated being ill or hospitalised because he was always fit and passionate. For now, she finds some comfort in a simple thought: he is with his mother again.

Source: The Times of India