Superstar Shah Rukh Khan paid an emotional tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar following his death on October 8. Nana passed away in Goa after suffering a heart attack. Remembering the late actor, Shah Rukh shared a throwback picture with him on Instagram and recalled some of their most memorable moments together.
Shah Rukh spoke about his first meeting with Nana and remembered how the veteran actor immediately corrected him instead of treating him like a star. He wrote, "When I first met him, out of awe and awkwardness I fiddled with my hair. He slapped my hand away and said 'hero ki tarah Baal mat bana...tu actor hai'."
"He didn't flatter you. He didn't tell you what you wanted to hear. He told you what you needed to hear. That was Nana. Straightforward. Rough, honest and had the most beautiful smile. He always had a strange way of showing affection. He would shout at you first, and then somewhere between the third or fourth insult, you realised you were being hugged. He loved me and I loved him back," SRK added.
Calling him a mentor, teacher, critic and a friend, the actor further mentioned, " Nana your intensity, laughter , madness and love will always stay with us. I just wish we had time to have more conversations, another argument, another cup of tea and a game of carrom. You have left a void not only in the world of cinema but in the hearts of all Indians and the world. All I can say is, I will miss you dearly and carry your words in my heart till the end of time....'hero banne ke chakar mein actor mat khona'."
"May your soul rest in peace Nana and Allah bless you. The Heavens will be blessed to have you... a masterful actor and an unbeatable carrom champion. Love you and miss you dearly!! Too soon my Hero Actor! RIP," Shah Rukh concluded his post.
Shah Rukh and Nana appeared together in films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992) and Shakti: The Power (2002).
