Nana Patekar on his Bollywood journey: 'Actors with average looks like me, Om Puri, Manoj Bajpayee didn't get a chance'

Veteran actor Nana Patekar is gearing up for Vivek Agnihotri's The Vaccine War, which marks his comeback to films five years after the 2018 Kaala that starred Rajinikanth. While speaking to DNA, The actor was speaking about his initial days in the industry and how the OTT boom has helped actors like him and many others to get good work.

He revealed, "We didn't get our chance that time. Actors with average looks like me, Om Puri, Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Raghubir Yadav didn't get their chance. But now will OTT, we have a stage, where we showcase our talents and people accept us."

He added, "After the emergence of OTT, the artistes have another medium after theatre and cinema to showcase their talents."

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On yesteryear’s and today’s actors

Nana Patekar remembered late superstars whose stardom remains intact even now. The Ab Tak Chhappan actor further added how it is almost impossible to forget yesteryear Bollywood stars like Yusuf Saab, fondly known as Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand among others. Even though they have long died, it is difficult to erase them from memory, Nana Patekar said.

While at the same time, the actor compared veteran actors’ popularity to the fleeting recognition revered by contemporary actors. Questioning their short-lived stardom, the Welcome To The Jungle actor added that today, fame is measured by box office figures. The actor stated, “Humare yaha aaj kal har hafte mein star badalta hai. Yeh sab aankade hai bas (Today, stardom lasts for a week. These are all figures).”

About The Vaccine War  

Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War stars Nana Patekar, Raima Sen, Pallavi Joshi, Girija Oak Godbole and Saptami Gowda among others. The movie is slated for release in cinemas on 28 September.

Nana is portrayed as the head of the Indian scientist team that developed India’s first vaccine against the COVID-19 pandemic.