Few pairings in Hindi cinema carried the kind of unspoken trust Dimple Kapadia and Nana Patekar shared on screen. From the raw intensity of Prahaar and Krantiveer to the lighter chaos of Welcome 2 and Tum Milo Toh Sahi, theirs was a collaboration built as much on mutual respect as on relentless mischief. As the industry mourns the loss of one of its finest actors, Dimple opens up to Filmfare about the man behind the intensity, the director who pushed her to her limits, the co-star who played endless practical jokes, and the friend who, as she puts it, taught her more than most actors do in a lifetime.
“He was all heart, all love. Of course he tried to intimidate you, but you had to take it in your stride. In fact, I was shocked when he offered me Prahaar which he directed. I was thinking what he saw in me? There were so many better actors than me. It was fun working with him. I recall there was a scene in Prahaar when my daughter gets molested and he tried to whip me up into a lather, asking me to imagine a personally violent experience. I just let loose. He was very happy when he got his shot.”
Recalling their candid moments, Dimple Kapadia comments, “We would play practical jokes on each other always. Once on Kabir’s film only he said sab time pe aana no delays. As luck would have it, he came late that day. With a straight face I took off, “Male actors can come late, they can do anything. You guys let the male actors get away with nonsense. If we ladies did it, so much hangama you would have made.” You should have seen his face that day. All day, I pretended that I was angry. I had such a good laugh later.”
“During Welcome 2 there was a shot in the desert where my parting line was “Maa ki aankh.” He was sitting on the monitor in a tent and listening to it. It was so funny. Something was going on his head. He yelled the place down, removed his tie in disgust and said, “Pack up, yeh koi dialogue hai? You can’t make a woman say all that.” Obviously, he was ticked off with the director or something and was firing from my shoulder. Just thinking of that day makes me roll with laughter.”
“But jokes apart, it was such a pleasure shooting with him for Prahaar and Krantiveer and the couple of films that we did together. Aise actors kam hi milte hai life mein, from whom you get to learn so much.”
Also read: “You Better Call Me Dimple”: Dimple Kapadia’s Rule For Farhan Akhtar On The Sets Of Dil Chahta Hai
