Media365
4 min readNew DelhiOct 14, 2026 04:42 PM IST
Nana Patekar may no longer be around, but his memories continue to live on in the hearts of his fans and well-wishers. One such admirer is actor Kamlesh Sawant, best known for playing Inspector Gaitonde in Drishyam. In a recent interview, Sawant recalled hearing a story about how Nana Patekar once demanded Rs 1 more than Amitabh Bachchan’s fee to work with him in a film — and reportedly got it, too.
Speaking to Pinkvilla, Kamlesh Sawant expressed grief over Nana Patekar’s passing. Recalling the actor’s generosity and larger-than-life personality, he shared an anecdote about his remuneration. “I did work with him in a film, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any scenes with him. I regret that sometimes. We have seen him working and have also heard multiple stories about him. This one time, I heard that he demanded Rs 1 more than Amitabh Bachchan’s fees to work with him in a film. He said, ‘Bachchan sahab ke saath main kaam karunga toh Rs 1 zyada lunga.’ Then he took Rs 1 crore and Rs 1 for a film, while Amitabh Bachchan was paid Rs 1 crore. This is what I have heard, but I am not sure how true it is,” Sawant said.
Sawant also credited Nana Patekar with ushering in an era in Bollywood when powerful dialogue delivery began to command as much attention as music and dance.
“There was a time when Bollywood would completely work on music and dance, but eventually, the focus shifted to dialogues. That era was started by Nana Patekar. People would clap at all of his dialogues,” he said.
Recalling the immense popularity of Patekar’s dialogue delivery, Sawant spoke about the audiences at single-screen theatres such as Ganesh Talkies and Jai Hind Talkies.
“I have first-hand experienced the craze around his dialogues at Ganesh Talkies and Jai Hind Talkies. People would watch his films multiple times. They would go crazy hearing him deliver dialogues. This was Nana Patekar’s strength,” he recalled.
Sawant further explained how Patekar could command silence even in packed single-screen theatres, where audiences were otherwise known for their loud reactions.
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“Usually, in single-screen theatres, you cannot expect people to be quiet. However, only two actors could make people go quiet — one was Bachchan sahab and the second was Nana Patekar. People would watch his films multiple times and would know exactly when to go quiet to hear his dialogues. They knew what came after what and would wait accordingly,” he said.
Speaking about Patekar’s sudden demise, Sawant said the news was difficult for those who admired the actor to process.
“What suddenly happened to him, none of us could process. He wasn’t sick or anything, but suddenly went. This is extremely unfortunate. He was very broad-minded,” Sawant said.
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Beyond his contribution to cinema, Sawant also recalled Patekar’s social work and how his foundation helped resolve a longstanding water crisis in his village in Maharashtra.
“I am from Koloshi Varchivadi in Maharashtra. That area had major water issues, which were solved by Nana Patekar’s NAAM Foundation. He came there personally to solve the issue. Now, we don’t have any water issues in our village. These things matter a lot. He was not just an actor but an active social worker,” he said.
Nana Patekar and Amitabh Bachchan shared the screen in the 1999 film Kohram. Around that period, reports suggested that Bachchan commanded a fee of approximately Rs 3 crore, while Patekar, following the success of films such as Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi, reportedly charged around Rs 1.25 crore per film. Some reports have described Patekar as one of the highest-paid actors of his time, second only to Bachchan.
However, Sawant’s anecdote about Patekar demanding and receiving Rs 1 more than Bachchan’s fee remains unverified. Nana Patekar died on October 8. He was 75.
