Aapke shot ke liye nahi: Munawar Faruqui honours Nana Patekar, refuses staged pics

Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui paid an emotional tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar following his death on October 8. He firmly declined requests from photographers present at the venue to re-enact the gesture for the cameras.Faruqui refused to re-enact placing flowers by Patekar's portrait when asked by photojournalists and said, "Aapke shot ke liye wapas nahi karunga" (I won't redo it for your shot), highlighting that a moment of respect must remain genuine.Faruqui expressed deep sorrow while paying tribute to Nana Patekar, describing the late actor as a major artistic inspiration who ignited his passion for theatre and acting. "I feel very bad. Rest in peace," he said.Expressing his admiration for Patekar's work, he added, "My all-time favourite film of his is Natsamrat." Patekar died after suffering severe chest pain. He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors attempted to revive him for around 45 minutes, according to Dr Shekhar Salkar, head of the hospital’s oncology department.The actor was cremated in Pune with full state honours. Several prominent figures from the Indian film industry, including Jackie Shroff, Pravin Tarde, Sajid Nadiadwala, and Anil Sharma, attended the funeral.They were joined by dignitaries such as Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil, former Women's Commission Chairperson Roopali Chakankar, and politician Bhai Jagtap. Krantiveer director Mehul Kumar and writer Kiran also attended the funeral. Patekar, who lived away from the trappings of stardom and embraced a simple, almost farmer-like way of life, had often spoken about his own mortality. During a media interaction while promoting The Vaccine War, the actor revealed that he had kept 12 maunds of dry wood at his Pune farmhouse for his eventual cremation. It was at the same farmhouse that he was cremated on Thursday.Patekar was known for his works in films like Ankush, Parinda, Angaar, Tirangaa, Krantiveer, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan, Taxi No. 9211 and Welcome.- Ends