Nana Patekar death: Raj Thackeray says actor gave voice to common man’s anger, despair and turmoil

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray has paid tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar following his death describing him as an artist who captured the anger despair frustration and helplessness experienced by the common manIn a post on X Thackeray reflected on Patekarrsquos long association with Mumbai and Hindi cinema saying the actorrsquos work remained closely connected to the social and economic realities of the cityPatekarrsquos work reflected Mumbairsquos changing social landscapeThackeray said Mumbairsquos identity is closely linked to its theatre and film industries as well as the lives of the middle and lowermiddle classes including people living in slums and chawls and struggling to establish themselvesVeteran actor Nana Patekar has passed away The Hindi film industry and Mumbai share an inseparable bond When one speaks of Mumbai it encompasses its theatre its world of commercial cinema and the middle and lowermiddle classes striving daily to carve out their identity from slums to chawls Then came the working class that gradually faced ruin in this city and across the country the rise of the underworld born out of that social despair the period where communal harmony unraveled before our eyes followed by the postliberalization expansion of middleclass aspirations and the politics swirling around it all Through every such era Nana Patekar made his presence felt sometimes on stage sometimes on screen From lsquoHamidabai Chi Kothirsquo to lsquoParindarsquo lsquoKrantiveerrsquo lsquoAb Tak Chhappanrsquo and all the way to lsquoNatasamratrsquo Nana remained everpresent Across each phase he brought to life whether on the screen or the stage the common man living with persistent inner turmoil Anger humiliation powerlessness despair revulsion toward immorality disillusionment with the system and class struggle constantly simmer within the mind of the common man It spills over only occasionally through petty arguments or domestic turmoil Otherwise it stays bottled up inside Watching Nana perform felt like looking into this emotional pressure cooker of ordinary lives When Nana or the Angry Young Man Amitabh Bachchan confronted these realities on screen they vented the steam trapped within the human psyche As I often say just as singers and composers like Lata didi Asha tai Kishore Kumar and Rafi sahab along with filmmakers playwrights directors and artists entertained Indian minds for at least 60 to 70 years figures like Nana and Bachchan Sahab powerfully released that inner steam on screen Had they not done so chaos might have erupted in this country every month Watching Nana act always reminded me of Hollywoods Morgan Freeman Neither fit the conventional type of Bollywood or Hollywood actors of their times in terms of looks or persona Watching Morgan Freeman one often feels this is a man who has absorbed wisdom patience and a quiet acceptance of things as they are over time With Nanas acting however I sensed fury restlessness and a deeply entrenched despair Freeman represents a man who seems to have seen it all Nana represents a man who has endured too much and can take no more These are two opposite ends of the human spectrum Because Nana could bring that second extreme to the screen with raw authenticity he was a truly great artist In the 2000s polished fair and conventional leading men began making way for storydriven cinema ushering in an era of character actors who could carry a narrative and draw audiences on merit Nana was undoubtedly the pioneer of this era The prominence that character actors enjoy today was paved by Nana Yet despite all this he was fiercely individualistic spoke his mind without filter and was outspoken though it hardly suits me to call anyone outspoken be that as it may Because of this even when producers and directors wished to cast him they often hesitated Did this hurt Nana One cannot say he remained indifferent But it certainly deprived Hindi cinema and its audience While Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the late Irrfan Khan were undoubtedly brilliant performers one wonders whether they and others like them would have found those same opportunities had Nana been willing to compromise Moreover Nana was not confined to aggressive or intense roles through films like lsquoWelcomersquo he demonstrated to the world that he could handle comedy with equal prowessmdash Raj Thackeray RajThackeray October 8 2026He said Patekar remained a presence through several periods of social and political change including the decline of the working class the rise of the underworld growing communal tensions and the expansion of middleclass aspirations after economic liberalisationldquoThrough every such era Nana Patekar made his presence felt sometimes on stage sometimes on screenrdquo Thackeray saidHe recalled Patekarrsquos performances in films and theatre productions including lsquoHamidabai Chi Kothirsquo lsquoParindarsquo lsquoKrantiveerrsquo lsquoAb Tak Chhappanrsquo and lsquoNatasamratrsquolsquoHe brought the common manrsquos turmoil to lifersquoAccording to Thackeray Patekarrsquos greatest strength was his ability to portray the emotional struggles of ordinary people He said emotions such as anger humiliation helplessness despair disillusionment with the system and class conflict often remain suppressed in everyday lifeldquoWatching Nana perform felt like looking into this emotional pressure cooker of ordinary livesrdquo Thackeray saidHe compared Patekarrsquos impact on audiences with that of Amitabh Bachchan saying both actors were able to express emotions and frustrations that remained largely unspokenThackeray also drew a comparison between Patekar and American actor Morgan Freeman saying the two represented contrasting forms of human experienceldquoFreeman represents a man who seems to have seen it all Nana represents a man who has endured too much and can take no morerdquo he saidThackeray credits Patekar with paving the way for character actorsThackeray also highlighted Patekarrsquos influence on Hindi cinema particularly the growing prominence of characterdriven performancesHe said the 2000s saw a shift away from conventional leading men towards storydriven films in which actors could carry a narrative on the strength of their performancesldquoNana was undoubtedly the pioneer of this era The prominence that character actors enjoy today was paved by Nanardquo Thackeray saidHe also noted that Patekarrsquos outspoken and fiercely individualistic personality may have affected the number of opportunities he received from filmmakers and producersThackeray said Patekarrsquos refusal to compromise his individuality may have deprived Hindi cinema of more of his performances while also wondering whether actors such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the late Irrfan Khan would have received similar opportunities had Patekar taken a different approach to his careerPatekar also proved his versatility in comedyWhile Patekar became widely associated with intense and aggressive roles Thackeray stressed that the actor was not limited to such performancesHe pointed to films such as lsquoWelcomersquo as evidence of Patekarrsquos versatility saying the actor demonstrated that he could deliver comedy with the same effectiveness and conviction as dramatic roles