Nana Patekar wanted ₹1 more than Amitabh Bachchan
Kamlesh Sawant recalls Nana Patekar's reported ₹1-more fee condition with Amitabh Bachchan, days after the veteran actor's death at 75.
Kamlesh Sawant has added a fresh story to Nana Patekar’s legend: the veteran actor reportedly had a one-rupee condition for sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan. Sawant, known for the Drishyam films, told Pinkvilla that he had heard the anecdote and was not certain how true it is.
The one-rupee condition
The condition, as he recalled it, was simple. If Nana Patekar was going to work with Amitabh Bachchan, he would take ₹1 more. Sawant quoted Patekar as saying, “Bachchan sahab ke saath main kaam karunga toh ₹1 zyada lunga” — “If I work with Bachchan sir, I will take ₹1 more.”
The numbers in the story: Nana Patekar reportedly received ₹1 crore and ₹1, while Amitabh Bachchan was paid ₹1 crore. Sawant presented it as hearsay, so the exact figure remains part of Bollywood folklore rather than a confirmed contract.
Why the story still lands
The anecdote matters because it matches the uncompromising image Patekar built on screen. The two actors shared the screen only once, in Mehul Kumar’s Kohram (1999), which makes the fee story feel tied to a rare on-screen pairing.
For younger fans, the tale is also a small window into 1990s stardom: even a single rupee could carry symbolic weight, signalling parity without showing disrespect to a senior.
A dialogue-led legacy
Sawant also argued that Nana Patekar changed what audiences came to theatres for. At a time when Bollywood leaned heavily on music and dance, Patekar made dialogue delivery the main event. Fans at Ganesh Talkies and Jai Hind Talkies would watch his films multiple times, know exactly when to fall silent, and then applaud as each line landed.
“People would clap at all of his dialogues,” Sawant said, adding that Patekar was among the few actors who could command complete silence in a single-screen theatre.
His final days
Nana Patekar died at his Goa residence at the age of 75 after a cardiac arrest. He was taken to hospital, where doctors attempted CPR for 45 minutes without success. The post-mortem found a blood clot blocking the left main coronary artery, and the cause of death was recorded as a natural cardiac event.
- Age at death: 75
- Reported fee anecdote: ₹1 crore and ₹1 for Patekar, ₹1 crore for Bachchan
- Only shared screen: Kohram (1999)
- Survived by: Wife Neelakanti Patekar and son Malhar Patekar
His death drew tributes from Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and others across the industry. For fans, the one-rupee story is now another reminder of how Nana Patekar stood apart — in fee negotiations, in dialogue delivery and in memory.
Source: Hindustan Times
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