Ananda Karki remembers Nana Patekar as a friend beyond the screen

KATHMANDU: The news of Nana Patekar’s passing has made me extremely sad. He was not only a great artist of India but also an old and close friend of mine. I am remembering those days spent with him, the moments walked together, and the conversations had today once again. Those memories will always remain priceless to me.

My first meeting with Nana Patekar took place in Kathmandu around the year 1987. He had come to Nepal in connection with the shooting of a film. At that time, the film ‘20 Rupaiya‘ by Chandra Barot, the director of a famous film like ‘Don,’ was being shot. Nana Patekar and Divya Rana were acting in it. It was then that I also got acquainted with Vinod Khanna.

They stayed in Nepal for about three weeks. At that time, I regularly sang songs at ‘Far Pavilion,’ located in the Everest Sheraton Hotel in Kathmandu. Busy with the shooting of the film all day, they would come to the hotel in the evening and listen to my songs.

In this course, intimacy with them kept growing. A good relationship was formed with Vinod Khanna as well, but the closeness with Nana Patekar remained special. Gradually, our relationship grew beyond the boundaries of artist and listener and developed into friendship. We visited various places in Kathmandu. I also got the opportunity to go to his shooting location. Those days are still fresh in my memory today.

We wandered around different places in Kathmandu. I also received the chance to visit his filming site. Those days remain fresh in my memory even today.

One day, director Chandra Barot and Nana Patekar, praising my singing, put forward a proposal to sing a background song in the film. I also received encouragement from Divya Rana. Their faith and love made me extremely happy.

After that, upon Nana Patekar’s initiative itself, my round-trip flight tickets to Mumbai were arranged. Reaching Mumbai, I got the opportunity to record a song for the film. There too, I got the opportunity to stay together, walk, and have various conversations with him. That was an extremely beautiful and unforgettable moment of my musical life. That relationship connected by music, their intimacy, and trust in my singing are priceless assets for me.

‘20 Rupaiya’ when he did not appear on screen

At that time, the name of the film for which I got the opportunity to sing a song was ’20 Rupaiya.’ Nana Patekar and Divya Rana were in lead roles in it. The film was directed by Chandra Barot, while the music for the background song sung by me was composed by Lalit Sen.