Nana Patekar has spent more than four decades on screen, but he has credited one person for even getting him there. In an interaction with a group of reporters, reported by IBN Live, Patekar said he was content doing plays until Smita Patil stepped in and recommended his name for Aaj Ki Awaaz, effectively pushing him into films.
That same closeness later showed up in a very different way, in how Patekar treated his own son's wish to act. Malhar Patekar wanted to become an actor, and his father chose not to open that door for him, something Patekar has explained in more than one interview over the years, including comments on how nepotism works in the industry at large.
