At the trailer launch of Pratap, Seema Biswas looked back at a friendship and working relationship that spanned decades. She said the last time she faced the camera with Nana Patekar was June 29, on the set of Shakti Shalini.
A final shoot and three days of silence
Biswas admitted she still struggles to accept that Nana Patekar is gone. “For 3 days, I was in complete silence,” she said, describing how difficult it was to believe the news. She remembered a lively set: Nana would cook, and he once teased her by asking whether a Bengali like her would really skip mutton.
His physical fitness also stayed with her. Watching him move around set in a lungi and pagdi, she recalled thinking she was, as she put it, “Main toh ekdum naalayak hoon unke saamne”.
How Nana quietly shaped Khamoshi
Biswas recalled that Khamoshi was one of her first films. She would go to Nana’s home to learn sign language, and the two would have creative discussions and arguments until the script improved. One memory captures that influence: a sign-language scene had no dialogue, but the words she needed to communicate did not feel emotionally right.
She flagged the problem to the film’s writer. When the scene was still unchanged on shoot day, she complained again. The writer returned with a rewritten scene, exactly the way Biswas wanted. The writer then told her Nana ji had made the changes himself.
Why the memory matters
This is not just a tribute to a co-star. It is a look at how Nana Patekar worked: quietly, specifically, and without making the change about himself. Biswas described him as a larger-than-life screen presence who lived like an ordinary man, approachable and generous to those in need. His contribution, she said, will not be forgotten.
- Shakti Shalini: part of Maddock Horror Comedy Universe; stars Aneet Padda of Saiyaara (2025) fame.
- Pratap: releases in cinemas on November 20.
Source: Hungama Media Pvt. Ltd.