This Bollywood star quit films at his peak to fight in Kargil War, lost 20 kg at the front serving Indian Army

Story of a Bollywood star who was at the front during the Kargil War, not just as a ‘cheerleader’ but as part of the Quick Response Team.

The Kargil War is a pivotal moment in modern Indian history. The last major armed conflict between India and Pakistan, the 1999 war, galvanised the country. As the jawans fought on the frontlines, the rest of the country tried to do their part to support, ranging from fundraising to morale-building. Amid this, there was one man who not only convinced the defence minister to let him join the Army but also served at the front. What's more? This man was a three-time National Award-winning Bollywood star. (

Nana Patekar spent three years with the Indian Army while writing Prahaar.

The Bollywood star who served in Kargil War

Nana Patekar was the actor who put his career on hold to help the Indian Army during the Kargil War. In his recent Kaun Banega Crorepati 16 appearance, the actor told Amitabh Bachchan how he came to serve at the front during the Kargil War. Nana had lived and trained with the Maratha Light Infantry of the Army for three years in the early 90s while writing his film Prahaar. When the Kargil War broke out, he reached out to the senior officers from the division, requesting to join the men on the front, but he was denied. He was told that only the defence minister could approve it.

A 1991 HT news piece discussing Prahaar, the film for which Nana Patekar trained with the Indian Army.

"I knew our Defence Minister George Fernandes ji, so I called him," Nana recalled on KBC, "Even he said it is impossible. I told him that even though the training for commission is six months, I trained for three years. He was surprised and asked me about it. After learning of my experience with the Maratha Light Infantry, he asked me, ‘When do you want to go?’

A news clipping from Hindustan Times from 1999 on Nana Patekar 'missing' during Kargil War.

Nana spent over a fortnight at the front close to the LoC in August 1999, helping the soldiers and even working in the hospital at the base for a few days. The actor recalled being part of the Quick Response Team (QRT) during his time in Kargil. "I was 76 kg when I reached Srinagar. By the time I came back, I was 56 kg," he recalled when talking about the gruelling circumstances there.

Nana Patekar's recent work

Nana Patekar resumed his film career after returning from Kargil and has gone on to be in some of the most successful and acclaimed Indian films of all time. The actor was most recently seen in Anil Sharma's Vanvaas, which was released in theatres in December 2024.