- Nana Patekar was hesitant to do the comic role in Welcome (2007) initially
- Anees Bazmee narrated the film script for three hours to convince Nana Patekar
- Nana Patekar's role as Uday Shetty became a popular cultural reference
Nana Patekar was known to be a 'serious' actor until Anees Bazmee cast him in Welcome (2007). Nana Patekar was not ready to do the part. But once he listened to the story, he was ready to switch on his comic mode.
During an appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show Season 2, filmmaker Anees Bazmee revealed how he convinced Nana Patekar to play the role of Uday in Welcome.
Anees also recalled his hilarious conversation with Nana over the phone. He said, "I called him and told him I want to meet you. He replied, 'Kai ko? (Why?)' I told him that I want to narrate a film to you."
When Anees went to Nana's house to narrate the film, the veteran actor told him, "I don't want to listen to the story, you swear on your mom that this film is right for me and I should do it."
Aneet insisted him to listen to the story and he narrated the script for next three hours.
Anees revealed that Nana hugged him after hearing the narration and told him, "Main kacchi mitti hai, tere set pe aayega, jis roop mein dhalna hai dhaal lena (I'm like wet clay. I'll come to your set, and you can mould me into whatever form you want)."
Contrary to the popular perception, Anees said he found him an easiest person to work with.
Nana Patekar's performance as Uday Shetty in Welcome (2007) became a pop-culture reference.
As Uday, Nana played a feared underworld don who desperately wants to get his sister Sanjana married into a respectable family.
Nana's chemistry with Anil Kapoor, who played his partner-in-crime Majnu Bhai, became the heart of the film.
Nana Patekar died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Goa. He was declared dead at 5:20 am.
Patekar was found unconscious at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, and was rushed to Manipal Hospital where doctors tried to revive him for almost 45 minutes before declaring him dead.
The filmmaker was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation, popularly known as CPR, an emergency procedure that is performed when someone's heartbeat or breathing stops.
"Despite 45 minutes of continuous CPR, he could not be revived," Dr Shekhar Salkar, Chief of Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital told news agency ANI. "A medico-legal case (MLC) has been registered, and a post-mortem will be conducted."
Nana Patekar's last rites will be performed at his home in Donje village, Pune, this evening.