Veteran actor Nana Patekar died at the age of 75 on Thursday after suffering a severe cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. He was declared dead at 5:20 am after doctors attempted to revive him with continuous CPR for around 45 minutes, according to Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital. A medico-legal case has been registered and a post-mortem will be conducted.
The timing of his death has added an unusual poignancy to another Bollywood anniversary. October 8 also marks the 100th birth anniversary of Raaj Kumar, who was born on October 8, 1926. The two actors came together for the 1993 patriotic action drama ‘Tirangaa’, with Raaj Kumar playing Brigadier Suryadev Singh and Nana playing Inspector Shivajirao Wagle. Decades later, the film remains memorable for their contrasting personalities, powerful dialogues and the cult song ‘Peele Peele O Morey Raja’.
When Nana Patekar met Raaj Kumar in ‘Tirangaa’
‘Tirangaa’ brought together two actors with very different screen personalities. Raaj Kumar had his trademark voice and measured delivery, while Nana brought a more restless, fiery energy to Inspector Wagle.
The combination worked remarkably well. Their characters, Brigadier Suryadev Singh and Inspector Shivajirao Wagle, became one of the most memorable aspects of the film, which went on to develop a cult following.
The pairing was also unusual enough to attract plenty of talk while the film was being made. In his conversation with The Lallantop, Nana recalled that film journalists at the time were writing that ‘Tirangaa’ would be impossible to complete.
He remembered the phrase “do sarphire” being used for the two actors and said there was even speculation that the film would never be completed.
But Nana’s own memories of Raaj Kumar were far removed from that image.
Nana Patekar’s version of what happened on set
Nana spoke warmly about Raaj Kumar when asked about the stories surrounding their time on ‘Tirangaa’ and pushed back against the claims that had circulated about the actor.
Nana specifically addressed the popular claim that he had told director Mehul Kumar that not a single scene involving Raaj Kumar could be changed and that the actor had then become angry.
Nana denied the story, making it clear that the situation was actually the opposite of what had been reported.
Nana recalled that Raaj Kumar would tell him to look at the scenes Mehul brought and have them corrected if he felt something needed to be changed.
He said Raaj Kumar’s approach was to have Nana review the material rather than simply accept whatever had been written and brought to the set.
Nana also spoke about the deep respect he had for his co-star, describing Raaj Kumar as someone he regarded almost like a father.
That recollection offers a very different picture from the stories that had surrounded the making of ‘Tirangaa’. Rather than describing a hostile relationship, Nana remembered Raaj Kumar with warmth and respect.
Their chemistry went beyond the camera
Nana also recalled the more personal moments they shared while working together.
One such memory involved food. Nana said he and Raaj Kumar would eat together on the sets and remembered taking a dish made by his mother. He described it as a banana-flower preparation, which he had brought in a tiffin.
The story became amusing because Raaj Kumar apparently mistook the dish for keema. Nana recalled telling him that it was actually banana-flower sabzi, only for Raaj Kumar to insist that it was keema.
Nana remembered the exchange fondly, particularly the way Raaj Kumar spoke. He also said that, despite the stories about the actor, he did not recall Raaj Kumar using abusive language. Even when angry, Nana said, Raaj Kumar would not casually use foul language.
The anecdotes give a glimpse of a relationship that, according to Nana’s own recollection, was much warmer than the stories surrounding the film suggested.
‘Peele Peele O Morey Raja’ gave them another memorable moment
The pairing was not limited to the film’s serious action and dialogue-heavy scenes. ‘Tirangaa’ also featured Raaj Kumar and Nana together in ‘Peele Peele O Morey Raja’.
The song has since developed a cult following of its own and remains one of the most recognisable songs associated with the film. Seeing the two actors together in a lighter setting added another layer to their unusual screen pairing.
It is also a reminder of the range of ‘Tirangaa’. The film moved between patriotic action, intense confrontations, memorable dialogue and lighter musical moments, with Raaj Kumar and Nana at the centre of it all.
Two powerful screen personalities, one unforgettable film
Raaj Kumar had already established himself as one of Hindi cinema’s most distinctive actors long before ‘Tirangaa’. Nana, meanwhile, was emerging as a powerful performer in his own right.
Their only film together therefore carried an unusual combination of two actors who each had an unmistakable screen identity. Raaj Kumar’s voice, mannerisms and authority played against Nana’s intensity and unpredictability, creating a dynamic that audiences remembered.
Nana’s own memories now add another dimension to that legacy. Behind the scenes, he remembered Raaj Kumar not as the difficult co-star described in some old stories, but as an actor he deeply respected and someone with whom he shared food, conversations and a genuine camaraderie.
On October 8, as Raaj Kumar’s birth anniversary is observed and Nana’s death is mourned, ‘Tirangaa’ brings the two actors together once again in memory. They worked together only once, but that one film was enough to leave behind a pairing that remains difficult to forget.
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