Veteran actor Nana Patekar is one of those Bollywood personalities who prefers to talk straight. According to his own words, he doesn't believe in appeasing people for his own gains and neither does he like to mince words. This man who calls a spade a spade is all set to make his own movie, yet untitled. The actor says that he would definitely steer clear of all kind of publicity gimmicks associated with the general process of film-making, these days.
"I have already written the script. I can direct it any moment. I want to do the film my way, and I would be the last person to use gimmicks to sell my product." Asked to elaborate on his project, Nana only chooses to reveal a bit. "Have you seen David Lean's film Ryan's Daughter?" he asks and adds, "It will be something like that. Or may be like Roman Holiday. In Roman Holiday, the romance was between two people of the same age, but not in my film." The actor had earlier donned the director's hat for Prahaar.
While Nana says he has not yet decided which actress from Bollywood to cast, he reveals a little more about his script: "She (the female protagonist) is 24 or may 25. The guy is 50... rude, rowdy, an ex-Army person. And yes, I will be acting in it."
Making his film his own way also means not having any run-of-the-mill item number - "the 'Sheila ki Jawaani way". Nana laughs and points out, "I have seen Katrina in a different way altogether (they acted together in Raajneeti). I didn't like her in Sheila Ki Jawaani. I am old. I don't know, maybe if I was young, I would have liked it."
Currently, Nana is eagerly waiting for Friday, when his latest film Shagird directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia releases. Set in Delhi, the drama unfolds amidst the nexus of the politicians, cops and the mafia. Playing a cop with grey shades in his character, the buzz is that Nana's role is based on the real-life encounter specialist, the late Rajbir Singh. However, Nana refuses to comment on it.
Instead he adds, "This film is like an alarm clock. I am happy I am doing my job. I can't pick up guns against any system. I can't be Anna Hazare. With a film, you can maybe wake up the people who are sleeping; force them to think." With an emphatic pause, he points out, "But how do you wake up the people who are pretending to sleep in this country?"