Nana Patekar

Born: 1 January, 1951 in Murud-Janji

Biography: Nana Patekar is known across the Bollywood industry as an extremely talented actor with a distinctive style of acting. Born as Vishwanath Patekar to painter Dankar Patekar and mother Sangana Patekar, he is an alumnus of J. J. Institute of Applied Arts, Mumbai. He was actively involved in dramatics during his college days.

Patekar has acted in several movies and has appeared in a variety of roles. He is known for his portrayal of the angry young man. He starred in films like Ankush (1986), Mohre (1987), Salaam Bombay! (1988), Tirangaa (1992), Yeshwant (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), Taxi No. 9211(2003), Welcome (2007), Ek - The Power of One (2008) and many others. He played the lead villain in the film Parinda, which won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He also won the Filmfare Best Villian Award for the film Angaar. His performance in Krantiveer (1994) won him The National Film Award and Filmfare and Star Screen Award for Best Actor. He also won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Agni Sakshi.

Patekar’s portrayal of a deaf and dumb father in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical was commendable. In 2004, he won the BFJA Best Actor Award for his role in Ab Tak Chhappan. He won plaudits for his performance in the film Apaharan, which also won him the Filmfare Best Villian Award in 2006.

Patekar also tried his hand at direction with his debut film Prahaar: The Final Attack, co-starring Madhuri Dixit. He has also done playback singing in films like Yeshwant, Wajood and Aanch. Besides this, he is a sketch artist; his sketches have sometimes helped the Mumbai police in tracking criminals. Thus, Patekar has many facets to his persona and has come to be known for his ad lib performances and unusual style.