Meet star who quit Bollywood at his peak to serve Indian Army, fought in Kargil War, lost 20 kgs, returned to films after 3 years, he is…
In the wake of Indo-Pak conflict, and Operation Sindoor, here’s a throwback about the only Bollywood star who served Indian Army during the Kargil War.
The Bollywood star who served Indian Army during the Kargil War
We love watching heroes fighting against all odds and emerging victorious on the big screen. The actors who take us to an imaginative world are entertainers, and not the real heroes. Today, we will discuss an actor, probably the only Bollywood actor who served Indian Army during the time of crisis. He didn’t spend a few hours, days, weeks, or months, but he spent years, serving the Armed Forces and became their cheerleader during the Kargil War. This actor was part of an elite force, the Quick Reaction Team, and spent over two weeks living alongside soldiers during the Kargil War.
The actor who served Indian Army during Kargil War is…
Nana Patekar, the National Award-winning actor, had lived and trained with the Maratha Light Infantry of the Army for three years in the early 90s while writing his film Prahaar. Nana recalled his Army days while appearing on Kaun Banega Crorepati 16. The Krantiveer actor said that when the Kargil War broke out, he reached out to the senior officers, requesting to join the Army on the front, but he was denied. He was told that only the defence minister could approve it.
How did Nana convince the Defence Minister?
In KBC, Nana said, “I knew our Defence Minister George Fernandes ji, so I called him. Even he said it is impossible. I told him that even though the training for commission is six months, I trained for three years. He was surprised and asked me about it. After learning of my experience with the Maratha Light Infantry, he asked me, ‘When do you want to go?’ Nana spent a fortnight at the front close to the LoC in August 1999, helping the soldiers and even working in the hospital at the base for a few days.
During the Kargil War, Nana was part of the Quick Reaction Team, and he even lost 20 kgs in that tenure. Nana recalled the circumstances and said, “I was 76 kg when I reached Srinagar. By the time I came back, I was 56 kg.” Nana resumed work in films from late 1990s. On the work front, he was last seen in Anil Sharma’s Vanvaas.
