Nana Patekar revealed that he was initially cast to play Jackie Shroff's part in the 1989 film "Parinda," but was replaced after Anil Kapoor intervened. Speaking to The Lallantop, Nana shared the story behind his replacement and how it led him to play the iconic role of Anna. “I was initially going to do Jackie's role. Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) was supposed to play Anna, but he backed out. Anil and I did a lot of rehearsals, and I prepared for six months. Recently, I asked Anil, ‘Did you ask Vinod to drop me from the film?’ He admitted, ‘I thought, why should I make Nana the star? It was obvious you’d become a star if you played Jackie's part.’ I told him, ‘Didn’t I tell you that whatever role you give me, I'd become the star anyway? Nobody would look at you,’” Nana said.
Nana went on to explain why he agreed to play Anna despite his initial anger. “All's well between Anil and me these days. But at that time, he was a star. He asked Vinod to drop me from the film, and he did. I also walked out. Three-four months later, Vinod came to me. He asked if I'd play Anna. I first felt angry, then I agreed. He then said he'd pay me my market rate. I said, obviously, you will, you're not doing me a favor. I just said I'll rewrite my part,” Nana added. He also mentioned other issues with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, noting that whenever he meets him, he hopes it's the last time.
Could Nana's portrayal of Anna have changed the trajectory of his career even more dramatically if he had originally played Jackie's role?
