Nana Patekar dies; Mohan Babu once remade his Krantiveer in Telugu

Nana Patekar, the actor known for his versatility and commanding screen presence, has died. He was 75, reports say.

Telugu audiences mostly knew him through remakes. Mohan Babu took on Patekar's rebel role in Punya Bhoomi Naa Desam, the official Telugu remake of Krantiveer, which released in 1994, a director recalled. The same director said Mohan Babu played Patekar's part again in Game, the Telugu remake of Taxi No 9211, with Vishnu Manchu in the role John Abraham played in the original.

Though Patekar never acted in a Telugu film, the director noted, viewers here still watched him in dubbed releases. One was Kaala, a gangster drama that touched on racial differences, in which he squared off against Rajinikanth.

Director Ashok Teja remembered watching Aab Tak Chhappan, where Patekar played an encounter specialist. He called him an actor par excellence and said very few Bollywood stars could match his versatility, his unique dialogue delivery or his punchlines. Ram Gopal Varma and Patekar, he added, set the box office on fire.

Producer M S Raju said Patekar won a following across India with his power packed roles and was very selective about the parts he took. He described a man who did not care about money, lived a peaceful life by his own choices and gave part of his pay to a charitable trust. Raju said Patekar would be remembered for his good deeds as much as for his roles.