Nana Patekar on not being a part of Akshay Kumar’s Welcome to the Jungle: ‘Maybe they think I have become dated’

After the trailer of The Vaccine War was unveiled, indianexpress.com asked Nana Patekar at a press conference about his return to films. Responding to this, Patekar said, “The industry was never closed for me. The industry never closes its doors on you. If you want to do good work, they’ll come to you and ask you. You have to decide if you can do it, if you want to do it or not. I feel this is my first and last chance, and utni hi jaan daalni chaahiye usmein. Everybody gets work (here), it depends on you if you want to do it or not.”

About not being a part of Welcome to the Jungle, which is slated to release next year, he said, “I am not a part of it, maybe they think hum bohot puraane ho gaye hai (I have become dated).” Gesturing at Vivek Agnihotri, who shared the stage with the actor, he said, “He doesn’t think I have become so old, so he cast me in his film. It’s that simple.”

Nana Patekar has been the part of the comedy film franchise since its inception in 2007, when he appeared as Don Uday Shetty in Welcome. He was also a part of Welcome Back (2015).

In The Vaccine War, Nana Patekar plays the role of Dr Balram Bhargava, the head of the team that invented the Covaxin. The film is slated to release on September 28.