Nana Patekar death: Before stardom, he earned just Rs 35 a month for painting Bollywood film posters, walked 8 km daily to do it

Nana Patekar, one of Indian cinema’s most popular actors, died at the age of 75 on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. But long before he became a National Award-winning performer, Patekar’s life was full of financial hardship and he used to do a job that was far from the world of film stardom.

According to one his interview with the Times of India, Patekar began working to help support his family when he was in school due to his father's death. One of the jobs he took was painting movie posters in Mumbai’s Chunabhatti area. He reportedly earned just Rs 35 a month for the work and walked around 8 kilometres every day to get there. According to reports, he also painted zebra crossings during this period.

Nana Patekar's family business collapsed

Patekar was born Vishwanath Patekar in Maharashtra in 1951 and media reports on his early life state that his family had been financially comfortable, with his father running a business.


But all of this changed after his father's partner reportedly committed fraud and transferred the family business into his own name. The resulting financial difficulties meant that Patekar had to start earning at an age when most children would still have been in school.

The poster-painting job became one of the early experiences into the working life. Every day, he would make the long journey to Chunabhatti, where he painted film posters in return for the modest monthly payment.

It was also during his younger years that he started to develop an interest for acting. In an interview, Patekar credited his father with encouraging his interest in plays and introducing him to theatre.

From theatre to a film career

Patekar eventually entered the world of professional acting and his first film was Gaman, which released in the year 1978. After this, he appeared in a number of smaller roles, particularly in Marathi cinema.

His breakthrough in movie stardom came gradually rather than being overnight success. It was his 1986 film Ankush that got him into the public eye, while his appearance in Salaam Bombay in 1988 put him on the map for filmmakers.

He subsequently built a career across films such as Parinda, Prahaar, Krantiveer, Agni Sakshi, Khamoshi, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan, Welcome and Natsamrat. His roles ranged from intense dramatic characters to villains and comic performances.

Patekar has even won the National Award three times. He received the Best Supporting Actor award for Parinda in 1989, Best Actor for Krantiveer in 1994 and another Best Supporting Actor honour for Agni Sakshi in 1996. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for his contribution to the arts.