In his 20s, Nana Patekar watched Dr Sriram Lagoo play the titular lead in Natsamrat, a landmark Marathi play, about 25 times. He later stepped in to play the aging Ganpat “Appa” Belwalkar, who neglected his family during his prime and found that they had little time for him when he had retired from the stage.When I first interviewed Patekar in 2016, he had just delivered the biggest opening for a Marathi film, till then, with the screen adaptation of Natsamrat. The actor walked into the suite of a suburban Mumbai hotel, where we were meeting for the interview, dressed in his signature kurta-pyjamas. He had no airs himself, but the hush that greeted his entry spoke volumes about his star power. Once the interview began, Patekar spoke passionately about acting and was candid about his reputation for difficulty and being unable to control his temper.AdvertisementThis interview took place nearly two years before the MeToo movement in India, triggered by actor Tanushree Dutta’s accusation of sexual harassment against Patekar, allegedly on the sets of the 2008 film Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss. There were no publicists involved in this interview, and even if there had been one, I doubt anyone could have stopped Patekar from speaking his mind.He did pay a price, though, for his reputation as a mercurial actor. He had long established his compelling screen presence in films like Salaam Bombay! (1988), Parinda (1989) and Krantiveer (1994), among others. Yet, it took a long time for him to realise his dream of playing the protagonist of Natsamrat on the big screen, he said, because people in the industry hesitated in approaching him because of his temper.Also Read | In every trans woman’s life, there is a DorothyPatekar told me, “Mistakes I can overlook, but if someone is committing blunders I will object…When someone disagrees with the other person, they express it verbally. I get violent. That’s the difference. I lost so many things because of that. I could not control my anger. I could not express my joy either. That expression also used to be violent.”AdvertisementHe said, “If something is wrong, I will point it out,” and in the same breath added, “Acting is not just a profession for me. This is how I breathe.” Perhaps that was why Patekar went the extra mile to convince Amol Palekar to cast him as Baarishkar in Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen (1990), as the latter too was wary of his anger issues. Patekar had famously scuffled with director Vidhu Vinod Chopra during the making of Parinda (1989), and yet somehow delivered a landmark performance as the ruthless gangster Anna Seth, even winning a National Award for the role.When I asked if age had mellowed him, Patekar chuckled. “I have cut down on my work,” he said. He was in his mid-60s at that time and said that he no longer “hankered for money, name or fame” but wanted to enjoy his work “without too many restrictions”. By then, he had co-founded Naam Foundation, which worked for water conservation and the welfare of farmers in Maharashtra.Patekar was an alumnus of Mumbai’s JJ Institute of Applied Art, where he studied commercial arts. He had initially pursued acting as a hobby, performing in several successful stage productions such as Jaywant Dalvi’s landmark play Purush. Encouraged by actor Smita Patil, he joined films and delivered a breakout performance in Ankush (1986). In 1991, he made his directorial debut with the acclaimed Prahaar: The Final Attack.In a career spanning five decades, he worked in both arthouse and mainstream movies. His range is evident from movies like Disha (1990), Diksha (1991), based on U R Ananthamurthy’s Kannada novella Ghatashraddha, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Shimit Amin’s Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), Prakash Jha’s Apaharan (2005), Welcome (2007) and Kaala (2018).When I interviewed Patekar again in 2018, following the release of Marathi-language Aapla Manus, which he had co-produced with Ajay Devgn and in which he was playing the lead, he repeatedly referred to his age. He kept saying: “How long am I going to be there? I’m 68.” By then, he had adopted a one-movie-a-year policy. “I get offers, but I have to say no to them. After all, I have na-na (no no) in my name.” Later that year, he was accused of sexual harassment by Dutta. Though he acted in a few movies after that, they did not have much impact. Two big-ticket movies, Eetha and Shakti Shalini, are likely to release later this year.you may likeBefore wrapping up the interview, I asked Patekar for his take on the controversies around the workings of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and he told me he had once been part of an informal meeting about its functioning. He did not share many details, so there wasn’t much meat in it for my article. He did, however, narrate an anecdote about Dev Anand in whose movie Censor (2001) he had made a brief appearance.His son Malhar Patekar, who was present, suggested that I avoid any mention of “censor” in my article. Before I could react, Patekar, giving me a fleeting glimpse of his famous temper, upbraided his son and told me that I could write whatever I wanted to. That was the last time I met him.The writer is associate editor, The Indian Express. alaka.sahani@expressindia.com