Nana Patekar Reveals Heartbreaking Story of His Eldest Son's Passing: 'I Felt So Disgusted That When I Saw Him...'

 

Veteran actor Nana Patekar recently opened up about the tragic loss of his eldest son, who faced health issues from birth. He shared his feelings of self-disgust, reflecting on his concern about how others perceived his son's condition.

Nana recounted, "My eldest son had health complications since birth. He had trouble in one eye, which wasn't visible. I felt so disgusted that when I saw him, I worried about what people would think—what kind of son Nana has. I didn't consider his feelings or what he was going through. His name was Durvasa. He spent two and a half years with us. But what can you do, some things happen in life."

He explained that he named his son after the sage Durvasa. He also spoke about meeting his wife, Neelakanti, during a play where she worked as a bank officer earning a salary of two and a half thousand rupees. Neelakanti encouraged him to pursue acting, saying the money would come eventually.

Nana also shared how he quit smoking because of his sister. "I quit smoking because of my sister. She lost her only son. At that time, I smoked about 60 cigarettes a day, even while bathing. The foul smell kept people from sitting in my car. Although I didn't drink much, I smoked a lot. One day, my sister saw me coughing after smoking and said, 'What else do you want to see?' Her words deeply hurt me, and I never smoked again after that day. All my habits changed after that."

Reflecting on his family, Nana praised his mother's influence in keeping him away from negative influences like the underworld, which some relatives were involved in. He credited her with shaping his values and guiding him down a different path. "What can I say about my mother? We owe everything to her. Many people from her side were connected to the underworld, including our uncles. I didn't want to be like that, so my mother took me to the village to ensure I wouldn't get involved in the underworld," Nana shared.