Kamlesh Sawant: ‘Nana Patekar took Rs 1 more than Amitabh Bachchan to work with him,’ recalls ‘Drishyam 3’ actor Kamlesh Sawant: ‘The focus shifted to dialogues, that era was started by him’ | Hindi Movie News

Nana Patekar may have passed away, but stories about his personality, generosity and legacy continue to resonate with those who admired him. Actor Kamlesh Sawant, known for playing Inspector Gaitonde in ‘Drishyam’, recently recalled an anecdote he had heard about the late actor’s remuneration, claiming that Nana once asked for Rs 1 more than Amitabh Bachchan’s fee to work with him in a film.Sawant spoke about his grief over Nana’s demise and remembered the stories he had heard about the actor over the years. Although he had worked with Nana in a film, he regretted never getting an opportunity to share screen space with him.“I did work with him in a film, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any scenes with him. I regret that sometimes. We have seen him working and have also heard multiple stories about him. This one time, I heard that he demanded Rs 1 more than Amitabh Bachchan’s fees to work with him in a film. He said, ‘Bachchan sahab ke saath main kaam karunga toh Rs 1 zyada lunga.’ Then he took Rs 1 crore and Rs 1 for a film, while Amitabh Bachchan was paid Rs 1 crore. This is what I have heard, but I am not sure how true it is,” Sawant said in an interview with Pinkvilla.The actor also spoke about Nana’s influence on Hindi cinema, crediting him with changing the way audiences responded to powerful dialogue delivery. According to Sawant, Nana helped bring dialogues to the forefront at a time when music and dance dominated Bollywood entertainment.“There was a time when Bollywood would completely work on music and dance, but eventually, the focus shifted to dialogues. That era was started by Nana Patekar. People would clap at all of his dialogues,” he said.Remembering the response Nana received at single-screen theatres, Sawant said he had personally witnessed audiences going back to watch the actor’s films multiple times, largely for his memorable performances and dialogues.“I have first-hand experienced the craze around his dialogues at Ganesh Talkies and Jai Hind Talkies. People would watch his films multiple times. They would go crazy hearing him deliver dialogues. This was Nana Patekar’s strength,” he recalled.Sawant further compared Nana’s ability to hold an audience’s attention to that of Amitabh Bachchan, saying that both actors could command silence in crowded theatres so that viewers would not miss a single line.“Usually, in single-screen theatres, you cannot expect people to be quiet. However, only two actors could make people go quiet — one was Bachchan sahab and the second was Nana Patekar. People would watch his films multiple times and would know exactly when to go quiet to hear his dialogues. They knew what came after what and would wait accordingly,” he said.Reflecting on Nana’s sudden demise, Sawant admitted that the news was difficult to comprehend. He said the actor’s passing had come as a shock to those who had admired him and remembered him as someone with a broad outlook on life.“What suddenly happened to him, none of us could process. He wasn’t sick or anything, but suddenly went. This is extremely unfortunate. He was very broad-minded,” Sawant said.Beyond his work in films, Sawant also highlighted Nana’s contribution to social causes. He recalled how the actor’s NAAM Foundation helped address water shortages in his village, Koloshi Varchivadi, in Maharashtra. According to Sawant, Nana personally visited the area to help resolve the problem.“I am from Koloshi Varchivadi in Maharashtra. That area had major water issues, which were solved by Nana Patekar’s NAAM Foundation. He came there personally to solve the issue. Now, we don’t have any water issues in our village. These things matter a lot. He was not just an actor but an active social worker,” he said.Nana Patekar and Amitabh Bachchan appeared together in the 1999 film ‘Kohram’. During that period, reports suggested that Bachchan commanded a fee of around Rs 3 crore, while Nana, following the success of films such as ‘Krantiveer’ and ‘Agni Sakshi’, reportedly charged approximately Rs 1.25 crore per film. Some accounts have described Nana as one of the highest-paid actors of his time, second only to Bachchan.However, the anecdote about Nana demanding and receiving Rs 1 more than Bachchan’s remuneration remains unverified, as Sawant himself acknowledged that he could not confirm its accuracy.Nana Patekar died on October 8 at the age of 75.