Giving in to a friend’s urgings during a recent visit to the US, Nana Patekar has bought an iPad 2 and will start blogging soon. “I warned him that I didn’t even know how to switch on the computer but he promised me I’d learn in no time,” admits the 60-year-old actor and Maratha warrior, who took his first lesson last Sunday. “Apart from the basic operations, I also learnt how to send an email.”
Didn’t he wish he became techno-savvy earlier? “No, had I been computer and Internet friendly earlier, I would have researched for my characters more, and that would have made my performance methodical. The spontaneity I put into Ab Tak Chhappan or the forthcoming Shagird, would have been lost,” he argues. “Besides, I wanted to be one with nature and not machines.”
For Nana, his gadget is currently akin to a new toy with which he can click and upload photo. And he’s more inclined towards blogging than social networking. “I like expressing my views. Irrespective of what people think, I like speaking my mind,” he asserts.
What if someone were to censor him? “Who will censor me?” he retorts. “But I’m not looking to create any controversy either. Life is beautiful, let’s make it more beautiful.”
He reasons that he has always used the medium of cinema to mirror his take on the socio-political situation in our country. “Films were my only mouthpiece earlier. My generation kept its feelings bottled up. I’m glad youngsters today are more alert and ready to react,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}He reasons that he has always used the medium of cinema to mirror his take on the socio-political situation in our country. “Films were my only mouthpiece earlier. My generation kept its feelings bottled up. I’m glad youngsters today are more alert and ready to react,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}“ It’s not possible for me to become Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh or Anna Hazare, but I will do my bit to bring about social change in whatever way I can.”
So, when does his first blog appear? “I haven’t set a deadline yet, let me first learn to use the computer and Internet properly. I don’t want make any mistakes,” he points out.