'Amit ji, I received far more than I ever wished for': When Nana Patekar make Amitabh Bachchan feel proud with his humble take on life

Nana Patekar preferred spending time away from Mumbai and repeatedly spoke about his connection to his village.

Veteran actor Nana Patekar has died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Goa. The actor was found unconscious in the early hours of Thursday and was taken to a private hospital, where doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes. He was declared dead at around 5:20 am.

Actor's old Kaun Banega Crorepati conversation with Amitabh Bachchan on fame, village life goes viral.

As tributes have been pouring in since morning, a resurfaced clip from his appearance on Amitabh Bachchan's Kaun Banega Crorepati 16 offered a particularly clear insight into a lesser-known side of him.

Why Nana Patekar stayed away from film industry's glamour

Away from the camera, Nana often spoke about having little interest in the lifestyle that came with being a film star. He preferred spending time away from Mumbai and repeatedly spoke about his connection to his village. During the conversation with Amitabh, Nana explained why he never felt completely at home in the film industry and why he preferred returning to his village after completing his work.

Deep Dive

What led to Nana Patekar's death?

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"I don't really belong to the film industry," he said. "I come here, do my work, and then run back. I've never been someone who attends parties here. That lifestyle doesn't appeal to me. It's just not who I am. I come from a village, and I will always remain a village man. That's where I feel most at home."

Nana also spoke about how having fewer needs had made his life simpler and, in his view, happier. He told Bachchan that he had already received much more from life than he had expected.

“Amit ji, I received far more than I ever wished for. Life has given me a lot. When your needs are limited, everything becomes much easier. I truly enjoy that life. In the city, people have walls around their homes. Where I live, we have mountains around us, and we live amidst them. Life is so simple there.” Amitabh, visibly moved by what Nana had said, responded, “It makes us very proud to see that.”

He continued to work till his final years

Nana's filmography included Krantiveer, Agneepath, Welcome, Ab Tak Chhappan and The Attacks of 26/11. Nana remained active as an actor even in his seventies. His recent work included Vishal Bhardwaj's O' Romeo, in which he appeared alongside Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, and a cameo in Subedar with Anil Kapoor and Radhika Madan.