He's wearing a checked shirt with beige pants, and a broad smile on his face when we meet him. In a poetic mood, Nana Patekar is a total contrast from the overpowering characters that he's played in his films.
He's wearing a checked shirt with beige pants, and a broad smile on his face when we meet him. In a poetic mood, Nana Patekar is a total contrast from the overpowering characters that he's played in his films. 
And when we ask him about his onscreen 'angry image', all he does is smile. "People always judge actors on the basis of the characters they play, but very few take the effort of knowing the real person inside," says Nana.
The actor who will be seen playing a cop in his upcoming film talks to CS about his theatre background and keeping a distance from the media:
My world's a stage
We all know that theatre is a preparing ground for good actors. If people think that I'm a good actor, it's because I have performed in front of a thousand people without retakes. So, performing for one camera that too with a dialogue prompter and the luxury of retakes is not a task for me.
I have become a director's actor, but I don't really have any expectations from anyone or any film. And this is the reason why my failures have never affected me. I work for my creative satisfaction and not to please anyone.
Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) is one of the few people I admire and whose opinion counts to me. Just last week Naseer was watching one of my old films, after which he messaged me saying that only I could do that role. Now that's what I care about.
He is the one person I've always wanted to work with, but unfortunately that's never happened. I think I will only have to write another script to get us together (laughs).
Role call
You might call me media shy and selective when it comes to films, but the fact is that I am a simple man who doesn't like too much attention. I do what suits me. I don't go out of my way to find roles. I do films with good scripts and interesting actors to work with. Just the fact that a film has a mammoth budget doesn't guarantee it's success.
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It is the soul of the character that appeals to the audience and not the length of the actress' dress. And since there's a dearth of good projects in Bollywood, I have also exposed myself to Marathi cinema, which truly is a breath of fresh air.
Every role I do is an experience and an investment at the same time. A Marathi poet as rightly said "It's sad that I have died but the best part is that I am still alive in every person who has read my literature. I am omnipresent".
It is the same with a kalakar. He never dies, he remain in the memory of the audience forever, thanks to his performances from generation to generation (says Nana in his dramatic, almost theatrical way.)
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