Nana Patekar Praises Shah Rukh Khan, Says He Meets Everyone With Affection: 'He's Like A Child To Me'

Shah Rukh Khan and Nana Patekar worked together in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, a film that remains beloved by fans. Recently, Nana Patekar praised Shah Rukh, saying he still meets him with great affection and has never forgotten him. In an interview with The Lallantop, Nana said, “Even today, he meets me with a lot of love. People forget, but he hasn’t forgotten. He seems like a child to me. For me, he’s still like a child. I really am fond of him.”

He added that while people often forget each other, “he didn’t forget.” Nana recalled their recent meeting at the International Film Festival (IFFI) in Goa, where Shah Rukh greeted him warmly, making it feel like no time had passed since they last worked together.

In the same interview, Patekar praised working with Amitabh Bachchan. He shared memories from the sets of Kohram, noting their meaningful conversations despite not meeting often. Nana Patekar keeps a letter from Amitabh, praising his performances, especially after the 26/11 movie. He also remembered Amitabh bringing sweets one morning to celebrate his daughter’s birth.

Nana asked about the occasion, and Amitabh said, “Nana ban gaya!” Nana went on to add, “We’ve known each other since childhood.” Nana admired Amitabh’s shirt, and later found the same shirt in his vanity van. It turned out Big B had gone home wearing a production shirt.

During the same chat, Nana, who was supposed to play Jackie Shroff’s role, Anil Kapoor’s elder brother, in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1989 film Parinda, opened up on how he was dropped from that role. He said, “I was initially going to do Jackie’s role. Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) was supposed to play Anna (the part eventually played by Nana). Then Naseer backed out. Anil and I did a lot of rehearsals. I prepared for six months. I recently asked Anil, ‘You asked Vinod to drop me from the film?’ He said, ‘I thought Nana ko kyu star banau main (why should I make Nana the star)? It was obvious that you’d become a star had you played Jackie’s part.’ I told him, ‘Didn’t I tell you that whatever role you give me, I’d become the star anyway. Nobody would look at you’.”