The maverick Nana Patekar may be known in B-Town for his intensity on screen and eccentricities off-screen, but when it comes to striking friendships, he can go out of his way. And the recipient of his largesse lately is Shreyas Talpade.
Both the actors, who met during the shoot of an upcoming comic caper, have been bonding big time of late. Shreyas now refers to him as Nana kaka, while the veteran actor calls him his 'son-in-law'! Patekar began referring to him as his 'jamaai, when a visitor on the sets asked him about his dosti with Shreyas.
"Seeing us bond in Marathi this man just assumed that we knew each other for years, " says Shreyas. So Nana told him, "I have seen Shreyas as a kid! I know his dad well and I have cradled him as a baby in my arms." Taking it further he stated, "His wife Deepti is my daughter and he is hoping she will come on the sets soon."
In for a surprise
As his sense of timing was so natural and was saying it with a straight face, the visitor did not even realise that he was joking. He was left wondering about when Nana had a 'daughter'.
Adds Shreyas, "Nana Kaka did not even know Deepti but at the spur of the moment cooked up the story! Later I introduced him to her. He can be such a prankster keeping everyone in splits."
Nana, the chef
This is the first time that the duo is working together. "Though I was acquainted with Nana kaka earlier, shooting together gave me an opportunity to get to know him. He is an adorable darling. There's so much to learn from him, " says Shreyas. "He has so many stories to narrate.
Listening to him is an amazing experience. He is also a good cook and knows even the traditional methods of doing it. He cooked fish for us and I must say it was fab." Apart from bonding on the sets, Nana has also made Shreyas realise the importance of fitness.
"He tells me either you go and exercise or go to the hospital! There are only two ways out." Seeing his fetish for being fit, Shreyas, too, has made it a part of his daily life."