Nana Patekar

Biography

Vishwanath Patekar (born January 1, 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, filmmaker, and former Indian Territorial Army officer, mainly working in Hindi and Marathi cinema. 

He is regarded as one of the finest and most influential actors in Indian Cinema, Patekar is the recipient of three National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, and two Filmfare Awards Marathi for his acting performances. He was bestowed with the Padma Shri award in 2013 for his contribution to cinema and arts.

After making his acting debut in Bollywood with the 1978 drama Gaman, Patekar acted in a few Marathi films and some Bollywood films. 

After acting in the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay in 1988, he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Parinda (1989), followed by another negative role in Angaar (1992). He acted in and made his directorial debut with Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991). 

Patekar subsequently starred in and received critical acclaim for his performance in several commercially successful films of the 1990s, including Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992); Angaar (1992), for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain; Tirangaa (1993); Krantiveer (1994), for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. 

Further acclaim came his way for Agni Sakshi, for which he won the third National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor; and Khamoshi: The Musical (1996).

During the early 2000s, he received praise for his performances in Shakti: The Power (2002), Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), and Apaharan (2005); the latter earned him a third Best Villain award at Filmfare and Taxi No. 9211 (2006). 

Patekar gained widespread appreciation for playing a noted gangster Uday Shetty in the comedy Welcome (2007) and its sequel Welcome Back (2015), and a politician in the political thriller Raajneeti (2010). 

In 2016, he starred in the critically and commercially successful Marathi film Natsamrat; in which he portrayed a retired stage actor. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Marathi) for his performance.