Nana Patekar has long carried a reputation for having a fiery temper, with several stories about his outbursts making headlines over the years. One of the most talked-about incidents was his reported scuffle with filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra on the sets of the 1989 cult classic ‘Parinda’. However, National Award-winning screenwriter Ranbir Pushp, who worked with Patekar on Partho Ghosh’s 1996 psychological thriller ‘Agni Sakshi’, believes the actor is often misunderstood.“These are actually wrong interpretations formed by people,” said Ranbir in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, while speaking about the perception surrounding Patekar. He also addressed claims that the veteran actor’s temperament can end up costing producers money, citing an incident that he believes reflects Patekar’s character.According to Ranbir, Patekar once came across the plight of families affected by farmer suicides. The actor reportedly decided against buying a car worth Rs 1.5 crore and instead asked a friend to distribute the same amount, with Rs 15 lakh given to each family. “The one who wipes the farmers’ tears can’t cause harm to anyone. He formed the NAAM Foundation, which has collected countless funds till today. He lives at a farm himself,” added Ranbir.The screenwriter acknowledged that Patekar does lose his temper but argued that there is often a reason behind it. Recalling another incident, Ranbir said the actor once saw someone throw a plastic bottle out of a moving car.“He stopped the car and picked up the bottle. He went ahead and stopped the guy driving that car at the traffic signal. He asked him to roll down the window,” said Ranbir.Patekar then pointed towards a hoarding featuring Mahatma Gandhi along with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan slogan. “Who will keep Bharat swachh? Gandhi ji is gone, but you’re still around on this planet. So, is it not duty as a citizen of this country to keep it clean? Should I throw the bottle inside your car, assuming it’s a dustbin?,” added Ranbir.According to Ranbir, Patekar also pointed towards the words “Mera Bharat Mahan” written on the back of a passing truck and responded, “Mera Bharat mahan nahi hai. Mera Bharat pareshan hai, tum jaise logo ki vajah se jo desh ko swachh nahi rakh pate” (My Bharat isn’t great, it’s concerned because of people like you who can’t keep the country clean),” said the actor. Defending Patekar’s reaction, Ranbir added, “You can call it anger, but you can also call it guidance,”Ranbir also spoke about the longstanding speculation surrounding Patekar’s equation with his ‘Agni Sakshi’ co-star Manisha Koirala. Asked about rumours of a romance between the two, he said, “There was something. God knows if it was friendship or romance. But both were close. They had a mutual understanding. They discussed scenes before performing. You can see those performances on the screen,” said Ranbir.However, he clarified that he never attempted to determine whether their relationship extended beyond friendship and professional collaboration. “I got to read about it in the papers later. But I never observed it myself. And usually, I’d keep to my own work, watch a few scenes on set, and leave,” added Ranbir.Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala, who have a 19-year age difference, first shared the screen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 1996 directorial debut ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’, in which Manisha played the daughter of Patekar’s character. The same year, they reunited for ‘Agni Sakshi’ and later worked together again in Partho Ghosh’s 1998 film ‘Yugpurush’.
