Nana Patekar died on October 8 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa. The talented actor delivered several memorable performances during his career, and one of them was in Parinda, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Patekar won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Anna in the 1989 film.
In 2019, as Parinda completed 30 years, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s production banner shared a video on X where the director recalled how the film’s climax was shot.
The caption of the post read, “Nana Patekar’s #NationalAward winning portrayal of the fiery Anna in #Parinda remains etched in the minds of cinema-goers, long after watching the film. Watch #VidhuVinodChopra share how the climax was shot.”
Describing the sequence in which Nana Patekar was seen being engulfed in flames, Vidhu Vinod Chopra said, “Ab main aapko iska pagalpan batata hoon is sequence ka, aur ye critical aap logon ko pehle samajhna padega ki ye jo aag hai ye real fire hai. Us waqt digital fire nahi thi. Toh Nana refused to wear ah… woh un dino andar ek woh suit hota tha fire suit. Kehta meri acting-acting kharab ho jayegi.”
[Now, let me tell you about the madness behind this sequence. First, it is important for you to understand that the fire you see here is real. There was no digital fire at the time. Nana refused to wear the protective fire suit available in those days. He said it would ruin his acting.]
Nana Patekar’s #NationalAward winning portrayal of the fiery Anna in #Parinda remains etched in the minds of cinema-goers, long after watching the film. Watch #VidhuVinodChopra share how the climax was shot. #30YearsOfParinda @Nanagpatekar @bindasbhidu @AnilKapoor https://t.co/iUrE9AKn5n
— Vidhu Vinod Chopra Films (@VVCFilms) October 31, 2019
He continued, “Toh maine kaha main shoot nahi karunga agar tu nahi pehnega. Uske baad usne woh pehna suit, upar ka. Toh maine kaha, ‘Woh pyjama bhi pehen.’ Kehta, ‘Main tere saamne nanga thodi hoonga.’ Toh maine kaha, ‘Pehnega’, toh main nikal gaya. Us saale ne pyjama nahi pehna.”
[So I told him, ‘I won’t shoot if you don’t wear it.’ After that, he put on the upper part of the suit. Then I told him, ‘Wear the pyjamas too.’ He said, ‘I’m not going to get naked in front of you.’ I told him, ‘You’ll wear them,’ and then I left. That rascal didn’t wear the pyjamas.]
Pointing to the sequence, Vidhu Vinod Chopra further said, “Can you imagine this is real fire? Rubber solution ke saath aag lagaya. See, this is when he got burnt. I’ve never seen it like this. Oh my God! Haath pe aag lagi aur ye ab usne chhalaang maari hai. Ye dekh yahan tak aaya hai, ye dekha? Ye jump maara hai usne into the safe area.”
[Can you imagine? This is real fire. The fire was lit using a rubber solution. See, this is when he got burnt. I’ve never seen it like this. Oh my God! His hand caught fire and then he jumped. Look, he came all the way here, did you see that? He jumped into the safe area.]
He added, “Oh my God, I have never seen it like this in my life. It’s the first time I’m watching this because itna control mere paas kabhi tha hi nahi. Nana, tu agar dekhega na ye toh yaar… kya kiya tune, it’s unbelievable! I mean, this really for me is cinema. I mean, this is it. You go out there, you know, and do it.”
[Oh my God, I have never seen it like this in my life. It’s the first time I’m watching this because I never had this much control before. Nana, if you watch this, my friend… what you did is unbelievable! I mean, this really, for me, is cinema. I mean, this is it. You go out there, you know, and do it.]
Parinda also starred Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff in key roles.
Also Read: Salman Khan’s Mumbai Event Postponed After His Khamoshi Co-Star Nana Patekar’s Death
