Nana Patekar once helped Shah Rukh Khan get bail in the 1990s

Nana Patekar, who died on October 8 at 75 after a cardiac arrest at his home in Goa, is being remembered for his intensity on screen and his bluntness off it. Shah Rukh Khan's tribute called him a mentor, teacher, critic and friend. It also recalled how Nana once slapped his hand away on their first meeting, when a nervous SRK kept fiddling with his hair, and told him: "Hero ki tarah baal mat bana… tu actor hai."

Nana Patekar, the friend who helped SRK get bail

Longtime fans may also remember another story about the two, when  Nana helped get SRK out of jail.

The incident dates to the early 1990s, soon after Shah Rukh's marriage to Gauri Khan. Speaking at an event back in 2012, he said a magazine had published a report suggesting he was romantically involved with a co-star. The story upset Gauri, and the young actor decided to confront the journalist behind it.

By his own account, the phone call only made things worse, and he later went to the journalist's home, carrying a kukri given to him by his army-officer father-in-law. He has described threatening a young man there in front of the man's parents. Looking back, he admitted he had behaved badly.

Shah Rukh thought the matter was over. The next evening, while he was shooting Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, police arrived. He recalled them being friendly, even taking photographs with him, before telling him a senior officer wanted to see him.

He was taken into custody after 6 pm and could not get bail immediately. Allowed one phone call from the lockup, he did not ring his family, friends or a lawyer. He called the man he had confronted and threatened him again. He later joked that this proved he was made to be a Hindi film hero. The humour faded quickly. He was fingerprinted, felt deeply embarrassed, and saw how disturbed Gauri was. He said that was when he decided to change.

Shah Rukh said, “Nana Patekar got me out of jail, finally, and he was very sweet. On a weekend, there was an evening court that gives you bail.” This is where Nana Patekar, his co-star from Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992), came in.

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