Nana: The Soul of ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’

‘Outwardly He Looked Rude, But Inside He Was Like Chocolate’

Mumbai: In an exclusive conversation, Viveck Vaswani remembers fighting to cast Nana Patekar in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, his special bond with a young Shah Rukh Khan, and the warmth behind the actor’s intimidating screen image.

Nana Patekar has played some of Hindi cinema’s most intimidating characters, but behind that famously stern exterior, there is another side to the actor that audiences rarely get to see. Filmmaker and producer Viveck Vaswani, who worked with him on Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992), remembers a man who arrived on time, played chess between shots, shared samosas with the crew and took a young Shah Rukh Khan under his wing.

In an exclusive conversation, Vaswani revisited the making of Aziz Mirza’s film and revealed how determined he and the director were to cast Patekar, even when producer G.P. Sippy was unconvinced about the project and its casting.

According to Vaswani, Sippy had originally been more interested in making Aatish. Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman was not a film he was particularly enthusiastic about, but Vaswani managed to persuade him to back it.

The real disagreement began when the filmmakers insisted on casting Patekar as Jai, the street-smart character who embodied the spirit of Bombay.

At the time, Patekar had already made an impression with his performance as Anna in Parinda, but he was not considered the obvious commercial choice. Distributors preferred a more established name, with Shatrughan Sinha emerging as an alternative.

Vaswani, however, believed the role needed someone who naturally belonged to the world the film was portraying.

“Shatrughan Sinha could be the spirit of Bihar, but he could not be the spirit of Bombay. I needed Maharashtra,” Vaswani recalled.

For him, Patekar’s street sensibility, mannerisms and distinctive personality were essential to the character.

The actor’s remuneration became another obstacle. Vaswani recalled that Patekar quoted an amount considerably higher than the other actors, including Shah Rukh Khan, who was then at the beginning of his film career.

“Shah Rukh was not getting anything—he was living in my house and getting a token ₹50,000,” Vaswani said.

Patekar, however, made it clear that his quotation should not be mistaken for reluctance.

When Vaswani presented the figure to G.P. Sippy, the producer was furious. He eventually distanced himself from the film’s day-to-day production, leaving Vaswani and Mirza to pursue their vision.

Yet, the casting decision proved significant for the film.

Recalling his experience of working with Patekar, Vaswani offered a portrait that contrasted sharply with the actor’s reputation for intensity.

“Nana was terrific. He would come on time, play chess on the set, eat samosas with us, and crack jokes,” he said.

“Outwardly, he looked like he was rude or a little upfront, but inside he was like chocolate.”

Vaswani also remembered Patekar’s affection for Shah Rukh Khan, describing how the senior actor effectively became a mentor to the newcomer during the shoot. Their natural rapport translated into several memorable moments, including the courtroom sequence and the playful scenes preceding the song Loveria.

After all, Nana Patekar has travelled effortlessly between extremes. His career has been built on characters who refuse to fade from memory, but the affection with which colleagues remember him reveals another side of his enduring legacy.