When Amitabh Bachchan gifted his shirt to Nana Patekar

When quizzed about any possible collaborations with Big B, Nana was positive and said that he doesn’t have any problem and whenever a script falls in place it could well become a possibilit

Nana Patekar, who will be reprising his role of Shetty bhai in ‘Welcome Back’, even went on to narrate an interesting anecdote involving him and Amitabh Bachchan to prove the warmth of their friendship.

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“Amitabh is a good friend of mine. Even though he is elder to me, whenever we meet, Amitabh greets me by saying ‘Nanaji, kaise hai aap?’ He addresses even those younger to him as ‘aap’. Once he wore a shirt to a shoot. I loved the shirt and praised it. After the shoot, when I retired to my vanity van, I saw that the hanger on which my shirt was hung now had Amitabh’s shirt hanging from it. Amitabh had left behind his shirt for me and walked away wearing my shirt. I still have kept that shirt safely as a momento,” recalls Nana Patekar.

Continuing in the same vein, Nana Patekar shared yet another endearing moment. “One day Amitabh (Bachchan) came to me with a box full of sweets. When I enquired about the occasion, he said his daughter had delivered a baby and that he had become a ‘nana’. I jokingly remarked,’it took you so long to become a Nana. Look at me. I am Nana since my birth,” laughed Nana Patekar.

Nana Patekar was full of praise for his ‘Welcome Back’ co-stars, John Abraham and Anil Kapoor. While Nana treats Anil like his younger brother, the veteran actor was most impressed by John Abraham with whom he had acted earlier in Taxi No 911.

“John in Taxi No 911 could barely speak two lines at one go. But slowly and steadily he gained in confidence and look where he is today. It makes me proud,” said Nana Patekar.

Nana Patekar also rued the fact that movies today have become more of a commercial venture. “These days films are mostly appreciated for commercial value. You have the Rs 100 and 200 crore clubs. The only film that I really liked in recent times was Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.”