For more than four decades, Nana Patekar has built one of the most varied bodies of work in Hindi cinema. Trained in theater and rooted in Marathi film, he stepped into mainstream Bollywood in the late 1980s and went on to play gangsters, police officers, devoted fathers, and comic dons with the same conviction.
His work has earned him three National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards, according to Gulf Today. He is also among the few actors to be recognized in both the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories at the National Film Awards.
What sets his career apart is range. He has been just as convincing as a deaf and mute father speaking through sign language as he has been as a feared underworld boss or a short-tempered gangster in a comedy.
Here are six roles that Bollywood fans still remember, rewatch, and quote.
1. Anna Seth in Parinda (1989)
Before Parinda, Nana Patekar was a familiar face in Marathi theater and a handful of films. Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s crime drama changed that.
He played Anna Seth, a ruthless Mumbai underworld boss with a deep fear of fire. Anna was calm, unpredictable, and frightening without ever needing to raise his voice. The role earned him his first National Film Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and it remains one of the most talked-about villains in Hindi cinema.
2. Pratap Narayan Tilak in Krantiveer (1994)
If you grew up watching Bollywood in the 1990s, you likely remember Pratap’s fiery speeches. In Krantiveer, he plays a carefree gambler who slowly turns into a voice for ordinary people tired of corruption and injustice.
The film’s climactic monologue is still shared widely online. Krantiveer won him the National Film Award for Best Actor, along with the Filmfare and Screen awards in the same category.
3. Vishwanath in Agni Sakshi (1996)
In Agni Sakshi, Nana Patekar played Vishwanath, an obsessive and controlling husband to Manisha Koirala’s character, with Jackie Shroff in the cast.
The role was dark and uncomfortable to watch, which is exactly why audiences remember it. His quiet menace made the thriller work. The performance earned him his second National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
4. Joseph Braganza in Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)
The same year, he showed a completely different side. In Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut film, he played Joseph, a deaf and mute father who communicates with his daughter Annie, played by Manisha Koirala, through sign language.
With very few spoken lines, he relied on his face and body language to carry the emotion. Scenes between Joseph and Annie are still remembered as some of the most moving moments in the film.
5. Sadhu Agashe in Ab Tak Chhappan (2004)
Ab Tak Chhappan put him in the role of Sadhu Agashe, a senior Mumbai police inspector with 56 encounters to his name. The title itself refers to that number.
Sadhu is calm, sharp, and often darkly funny. He mentors younger officers while dealing with politics inside his own department. Many fans count it among his finest performances of the 2000s, and his dry one-liners from the film are still widely quoted.
6. Uday Shetty in Welcome (2007)
This is the one almost every Bollywood fan knows by heart. In Anees Bazmee’s comedy Welcome, Nana Patekar played Uday Shetty, a gangster who desperately wants his sister to marry into a respectable family.
His scenes with Anil Kapoor’s Majnu Bhai made the film a hit, and “Control, Uday, control” became an instant catchphrase. Uday Bhai returned in Welcome Back (2015), and the character continues to dominate memes and reels nearly two decades later.
From Anna Seth to Uday Bhai, these characters show the range that made Nana Patekar a household name. Whether you prefer his intense dramas or his comedy, at least one of these roles has likely found a permanent spot in your memory.
