The diabolic politician in Apaharan was more for his friend and favourite collaborator Prakash Jha who had to coax Nana to get back into the evil zone which at one time Nana had dominated with such resonant impact in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda and Shashilal Nair’s Angaar.
Thereafter Nana focused on playing the lead in films Krantiveer, Tirangaa and Wajood…In fact his next two releases It’s My Life and Ab Tak Chappan 2 would feature Nana in the main lead.
Breaking his no-villainy rule Nana plays an out-and-out negative character in Priyadarshan’s Malaamal Weekly 2Apparently Nana agreed to break his anti-negativity rule as he had never tried the unconventional recipe of villainy in a comedy.
Says director Priyadarshan, "It’s a challenge for Nana Patekar, and one that he is most capable of shouldering. Everywhere around his character there’s laughter. Nana has to remain a humourless villain."
Villain on screen, guardian angel off it. These are the two roles that Nana Patekar is effortlessly essaying at this moment in Wai, shooting for Priyadarshan’s new comedy about a loser(Shreyas Talpade) who pretends proximity to a sinister stranger in the village(Nana Patekar) to win some badly-needed respect in the village.
The ‘stranger’ turns out to be notorious charge-sheeter.
On location in Wai Nana has become everyone’s local guardian.He insists on cooking for the entire unit every day.
Says Priyadarshan gleefully, “Nana plays a complete anti-social element. He is gone into the character with such enthusiasm,he’s the most committed actor I’ve worked in since Mohanlal. Everyone warned me Nana was difficult to work with. But he turned out to be the easiest actor I’ve worked with.He looks after all of us. I didn’t know he was such a fantastic cook.I’d love to cast him in a chef’s role in my next comedy.”
