Nana Patekar served with Indian Army during Kargil War
He was physically present in a war zone in 1999.
Veteran actor Nana Patekar, who passed away at his Goa residence today (8 October), served India during the Kargil War with Pakistan in 1999.
In an interview in 2024, the actor shared that he was a part of the Quick Reaction Team in Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.
Patekar recalled, "George Fernandes was the defence minister, and I wanted to go (to Kargil)."
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At first, he was discouraged, but later he had a word with Fernandes, and the actor was sent to the battlefront the same day. When the Kargil conflict began, Patekar wanted to contribute beyond his work as an actor.
He had first approached senior army officials and expressed his desire to serve alongside the troops.
His request could not be approved at that level and was told that clearance would have to come from the Defence Minister.
It was then that Patekar contacted Fernandes. During his 2025 appearance on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 16', the actor recalled the conversation.
"I knew our Defence Minister, George Fernandes ji, so I called him," Nana Patekar said. "Even he said it was impossible."
He was physically present in a war zone in 1999 and had a first-hand experience of the tough conditions alongside the troops.
"I was there for 60 days," he recalled. When asked what he was doing there, the actor said, "Don't ask that. I can't tell you." Patekar said, "Eventually, I became a member of QRT, the Quick Reaction Team.
"When I went, I was 76 kgs, and when I came back, I was 56 kgs, in just two months," he added.
What might have Patekar joined the Kargil battle was his intense training with the Maratha Light Infantry for the shoot of his film "Prahaar" (1991), which starred him and was also directed by him.
