Media365
3 min readMumbaiOct 8, 2026 06:07 PM IST
Shah Rukh Khan has looked back at his fond memories with Nana Patekar, who died at the age of 75 on Thursday. Shah Rukh and Nana famously worked together in Aziz Mirza’s 1992 romantic comedy Raju Ban Gaya Gentlemen. In a social media post, SRK described Nana as “a mentor, a teacher, a critic, and a friend” and credited him with keeping the actor in him alive over the decades.
Shah Rukh Khan remembers Nana Patekar
Sharing a still of himself and Nana Patekar from Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Shah Rukh Khan wrote on X, “When I first met him, out of awe and awkwardness, I fiddled with my hair. He slapped my hand away, and said, ‘Hero ki tarah baal mat bana… tu actor hai’ (don’t treat your hair like a hero. You’re an actor!).”
“He didn’t flatter you. He didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear. He told you what you needed to hear. That was Nana. Straightforward. Rough, honest, and had the most beautiful smile. He always had a strange way of showing affection. He would shout at you first, and then somewhere between the third or fourth insult, you realised you were being hugged. He loved me and I loved him back,” confessed Shah Rukh.
Calling Nana Patekar “a mentor, a teacher, a critic, and a friend”, Shah Rukh Khan revealed Nana Patekar “relished” beating him and everyone else around him in carrom, one round after another. “Nana, your intensity, laughter, madness, and love will always stay with us. I just wish we had time to have more conversations, another argument, another cup of tea, and a game of carrom,” added Shah Rukh.
Nana Patekar’s advice to Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan also recalled a piece of advice from Nana Patekar that had stayed with him throughout his career. Reflecting on the actor’s death, he said it had left a void not only in cinema but also in the hearts of people across India and beyond. He added, “All I can say is, I will miss you dearly and carry your words in my heart till the end of time… ‘Hero banne ke chakar mein actor mat khona‘ (Don’t lose the actor within in the quest of becoming a hero).”
“May your soul rest in peace Nana, and Allah bless you. The heavens will be blessed to have you… a masterful actor and an unbeatable carrom champion. Love you and miss you dearly!! Too soon, my Hero Actor! RIP,” SRK concluded.
A couple of years ago, Nana Patekar said on The Lallantop that even though he doesn’t meet Shah Rukh Khan often, the young actor showers love on him whenever they do, as if no time had passed.
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Also Read — Nana Patekar Death Updates: Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, Mohanlal mourn demise
Nana Patekar died of cardiac arrest on Thursday morning at his Goa residence. He’s being given a funeral with full state honours at his Pune farmhouse.
