Nana Patekar recently addressed a controversial incident during the shooting of Vanvaas, where he slapped a fan who tried to take a selfie with him. Speaking to News18 Showsha, the veteran actor opened up about the incident, acknowledging that his reaction was wrong. However, he emphasized the importance of understanding the appropriate time and place to express affection, especially for someone in the public eye like him.
The incident took place while Nana was shooting in Varanasi for Vanvaas. According to him, a fan approached the set during a shot and tried to take a selfie with the actor, which he found disruptive. In the heat of the moment, Nana slapped the fan, an action that quickly sparked a backlash when the video of the altercation went viral.
Nana, however, didn’t shy away from admitting his mistake. “One person had come, it had become a controversy. I slapped him, however, it was wrong. He came out of love. He didn’t know that we were in between a shot. He came in between the shots and tried to take a selfie,” he explained.
Despite recognizing that slapping the fan was inappropriate, Nana pointed out that there is a right time and place for such interactions. “I slapped him, which was wrong. But there is a place to express your love for a person. (If he had) come after I have completed the shot, I won’t have an issue,” he continued. Nana's comments reflect his belief that while the fan's intentions were genuine, his approach was misguided, and the disruption during a critical moment of filming was what triggered Nana's reaction.
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Following the incident, Nana did apologize to the fan, acknowledging that his emotions had gotten the better of him in a stressful moment. His candidness in admitting his wrongdoing helped diffuse some of the negative reaction, but the incident remains a talking point among fans and the media.
The larger issue highlighted by this controversy touches on the challenges that public figures face when dealing with fans, especially in the age of social media. Filming on location has become increasingly complicated with the rise of platforms like Twitter (now X) and Instagram, where fans often share behind-the-scenes moments from movie sets. Filmmakers and actors alike have voiced their concerns about the difficulty of maintaining privacy and security on set.
Director Anil Sharma, who worked with Nana on *Vanvaas*, also discussed the issue, noting that filming outdoors has become more of a challenge in recent years. "It becomes very difficult. Your shots get copied, audience shares videos on Twitter (now X) and Instagram. We have to then get them removed. It is an additional task. We have to set up a separate digital team to pull the videos now," Sharma revealed.
Despite the challenges posed by fan interactions and the leak of footage, Sharma acknowledged that fans are simply expressing their admiration for the actors and the film. "We live in this world and work for fans, make films for fans," he said, adding that incidents like these are part of the filmmaking process in today’s digital age.
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