‘Rashid Latif is Pakistani, he congratulated me’: The connection Nana Patekar shared with Pakistani cricketer nicknamed ‘Nana’

Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has paid tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar, who died on Thursday, recalling how their conversations began during the Singer Trophy in Colombo in 1994 and continued for years.“I spoke to him regularly and it continued for many days. When we were in Colombo in 1994 for the Singer Trophy, Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja arranged for me to speak to him,” Latif said while talking to TimesofIndia.com.Latif also recalled congratulating Patekar when he won the Best Actor award in 1998. He was in South Africa with the Pakistan team at the time and later heard from former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja that Patekar had shared a message with the Indian players.“When he received the best actor award in 1998, I was with the team in South Africa and I conveyed my congratulations to him. Then when he went and met the Indian team, he said about all this, this is what Ajay Jadeja told me. He said, ‘Look, Rashid Latif is Pakistani, he congratulated me, but yes, I did not continue with him,'” added Rashid.Latif was nicknamed “Nana” after the actor, a connection that even former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali remembered while paying tribute to Patekar.“Early in the morning I heard the sad news. Our very dear brother, friend and living legend is no more in this world – Nana Patekar Sahab has passed away. What a person he was; he played in films exactly as he was in real life. We nicknamed Latifa as ‘Nana’, because of Nana Patekar. We first spoke to each other in 1994 and Basit started it all.Patekar’s death came as a shock to colleagues and friends. Through his roles, the actor often portrayed the anger, helplessness and disillusionment of ordinary people.Just four days before his death, Patekar spoke about the uncertainty of life at an event in Goa. “We all have to go sometime. I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow.”Patekar is survived by his wife Neelkanti and son Malhar.The actor also had connections with the Indian Armed Forces. During the Kargil War in 1999, he convinced Defense Minister George Fernandes to let him work with soldiers on the front lines. He spent about 60 days at various locations including Drass, Mughal Pora and Baramulla and was also a member of the Quick Response Team (QRT).Patekar won three National Film Awards for his performances in Parinda, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi. His honors also included several Filmfare Awards, Maharashtra State Film Award, Filmfare Awards Marathi and Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.