Veteran actor , who passed away on Thursday (October 8) at 5:20 am after suffering a cardiac arrest in Goa, had once opened up about one of the darkest phases of his life and the unhealthy coping mechanism he turned to following the death of his two-year-old son.
In a throwback interview with The Lallantop, Nana spoke about losing his young son, who was born with several disabilities. The actor recalled how difficult it was for him to deal with the loss and admitted that he would constantly smoke during that period.
Nana revealed that his son was born with a cleft palate and also had difficulty seeing through one eye. Looking back, he admitted that his initial reaction was not about his child but about how others would perceive him.
“My elder son was born with a cleft palate, he also had difficulty seeing through one eye. The first thought that ran through my mind when I’d see him like this was, ‘What will people think about me, that my son looks like this’. Imagine what a terrible man I am. My first worry was what people would say about me, not him.”
The actor said his son was named Durvasa, after the famously short-tempered rishi. He also opened up on how the personal tragedy changed him over the years and made him stronger.
However, Nana revealed that he struggled to process his grief at the time and turned heavily to cigarettes. His smoking habit became so severe that he would smoke around 60 cigarettes every day, even while bathing.
“At that time, I used to smoke about 60 cigarettes a day. I even smoked while bathing. But it’s a very bad thing. No one would sit in my car because of the foul smell. I never drank alcohol much, but I smoked a lot.”
Nana also spoke about other personal losses, including the death of his elder brother. The actor admitted that while he has tried to gain better control over his temper and behaviour with age, he sometimes finds himself returning to his old ways.
Nana Patekar worked in the film industry for nearly five decades and appeared in around 90 films. His death has left the film fraternity shocked, with several celebrities and colleagues remembering the veteran actor on social media.