‘Dilip Kumar toweled me off in the rains, Amitabh Bachchan quietly left his shirt in my vanity’: Nana Patekar says these gestures are more valuable than awards

The lineage of Bollywood superstars can be traced from Dilip Kumar to Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. Nana Patekar shared fond memories of them all.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: June 25, 2024 06:10 PM IST

3 min read

Nana Patekar recalled his interactions with Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan.

Actor Nana Patekar said that he doesn’t need awards to boost his ego, because he values his interactions with legends such as Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan more than anything else. In an interview, the veteran actor spoke about his fond memories of acting legends, and the affection that he feels to this day for Shah Rukh Khan. He said that he has no need of an Academy Award, because he has valuable mementos from Amitabh and Dilip instead.

In an interview with The Lallantop, “I’m so lucky to have met such legends. Dilip Kumar called me home once. It was raining, and I got soaked. He saw me, and the first thing he did was to bring a towel and dry me off himself. Then, he brought one of his own kurtas and gave it to me.” Nana said that he still has the kurta, and a shirt that none other than Amitabh Bachchan gave him one day.

Also read – Rishi Kapoor would abuse a lot on sets, refused to give more than one take; Nana Patekar recalls clashes: ‘We are not like you theatre guys’

Asked about his relationship with the legendary actor, he said, “We don’t meet very often, but we used to talk a lot. I still have a letter he once sent me. After the 26/11 movie I did, he wrote me a letter saying that he admires many of my performances, but this one was special. We worked together on the film Kohram, and one morning, he came with sweets. His daughter had given birth. I asked him what the occasion was and he said ‘Nana ban gaya’. I said, ‘Woh toh hum bachpan se hain’. I also complimented the shirt he was wearing. In the evening, lo and behold, that same shirt was hanging in my vanity van. He’d gone home wearing some production shirt. I have big awards too…”

Nana also worked with Shah Rukh Khan on one of his first films, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. He said, “He’s always so warm. I think of him as a child; I would, wouldn’t I? I really like him. People forget, but he hasn’t forgotten. Again, we don’t meet often, but when we do, it feels like we just met yesterday.”

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