Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has paid tribute to the late Nana Patekar, sharing a revealing behind-the-scenes anecdote from the sets of director Indra Kumar's 1995 film 'Raja' — a story that captures Patekar's instinctive, actor-first approach to filmmaking. Patekar passed away on 8 October.

The On-Set Standoff

Khanna recalled how he had objected to a particular scene involving his character and his sister, halting production for nearly two hours. He felt the sequence — in which a stranger enters his sister's room and makes physical contact — was fundamentally at odds with the image of the Thakur character he had built.

'I said, no Thakur will let a stranger enter his sister's room. And on top of that, touch. I stopped the shooting for two hours,' Khanna said.

How Patekar Changed His Mind

It was Nana Patekar who stepped in, not as a director or a producer, but as a fellow actor offering perspective. Patekar reframed the scene through the lens of the character's motivation — arguing that the action came from a place of brotherly protectiveness, not weakness.

'Nana Patekar came to me... He said, 'You are doing it for your sister.' He convinced me a lot, then ultimately I agreed,' Khanna recalled. The 'Shaktimaan' actor acknowledged that while he had reservations, the director Indra Kumar also eventually recognised that the character as written would not behave that way, with corrections made in the climax.

Patekar's Unconventional Presence on Set

Khanna noted that Patekar had a habit of stepping in with unsolicited but well-intentioned advice for other actors on set — an approach that was not universally welcomed. 'Madhuri used to say, 'Why? How did you come? Why?'' Khanna recalled, hinting at the tension that Patekar's interventions sometimes created.

Notably, Khanna later learned that Patekar did not ultimately play the role he had been associated with during the film's production — that part eventually went to Paresh Rawal. The film starred Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Kapoor in the lead roles.

A Tribute to an Irreplaceable Actor

Khanna was emphatic in his praise for Patekar's craft, singling out his dialogue delivery as something entirely singular in Indian cinema. 'You will not find such an actor. Neither was, nor is, nor will be. His dialogue delivery...' he said, leaving the thought to speak for itself.

Khanna added that he personally understood the craft of dialogue delivery and found in Patekar someone who elevated it to an art form. As tributes pour in from across the industry, Khanna's recollection stands out for its specificity — a quiet, unscripted moment of one actor helping another find the truth of a scene.