Nana Patekar — He Painted Movie Posters For ₹35 A Month. Then He Fought At Kargil.

नौवीं जमात में पिता का कारोबार डूब गया। तेरह साल की उम्र में उसने सिनेमा के पोस्टर रंगने शुरू किए — पैंतीस रुपये महीना और दिन में एक वक्त का खाना।
और एक दिन वही लड़का उन्हीं पोस्टरों पर था।

Nana Patekar was born Vishwanath Patekar on 1 January 1951 in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra. When he was in class nine, his father was cheated and lost his business. A man named G.S. Tiwari gave the boy work painting cinema posters. He walked several kilometres after school to get there. His wages — ₹35 a month and one meal a day. He also painted zebra crossings on the road.

Smita Patil is the reason he entered films at all. She pushed him towards cinema and helped bring him into Gaman in 1978.

For Prahaar in 1991, which he wrote and directed himself, he refused to fake a soldier. He underwent full Indian Army training — for three years. In 1999, Defence Minister George Fernandes gave him the honorary rank of Captain. He joined the Maratha Light Infantry, and during the Kargil War he served two weeks with his unit's Quick Reaction Team along the Line of Control, and in a military hospital in Kashmir. He eventually held the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

'क्रांतिवीर' की शूटिंग के दौरान वो गंभीर रूप से बीमार पड़े और अस्पताल में भर्ती हुए। उस फिल्म का क्लाइमैक्स — जो पूरा देश याद रखता है — उन्होंने अस्पताल से सीधे आकर शूट किया। उसके लिए उन्हें राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार मिला।

Three National Awards — Parinda, Krantiveer, Agni Sakshi. The Padma Shri in 2013. And a career that ran from the menace of Parinda to the comedy of Welcome to the heartbreak of Natsamrat.

In September 2015, he and Makarand Anaspure registered the Naam Foundation in Pune, going directly to farming families in Vidarbha, Latur and Osmanabad with ₹15,000 in hand, sewing machines for widows, and work on water conservation and canal restoration. He farmed his own land, sold the rice and wheat, and put that money back into farmers' hands.

Asked why, his answer was simple: work for the farmers' cause gives me a reason to live.

Nana Patekar passed away on 8 October 2026 at his residence in Goa. He was 75.

🎬 Films: Parinda | Krantiveer | Agni Sakshi | Prahaar | Ab Tak Chhappan | Apaharan | Raajneeti | Welcome | Natsamrat
🏆 3 National Film Awards | Padma Shri 2013 | Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, Indian Army | Founder, Naam Foundation

📖 Sources: Wikipedia | Open Magazine | Oneindia | WikiBio | Times of India | News18

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⚠️ DISCLAIMER

This video is for educational and tribute purposes only. All facts are based on publicly documented sources including Wikipedia, Open Magazine, Times of India and Nana Patekar's own published interviews. The voiceover is AI-generated and is a creative first-person narrative — not an actual recording of Nana Patekar. All visuals are AI-generated or properly licensed. For any concerns, please contact us before filing a claim. Legends You Know is an independent tribute channel. © Legends You Know. All Rights Reserved.


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