In recent news, actor Nana Patekar found himself under scrutiny after a video capturing him inadvertently slapping a fan went viral. The footage depicts Patekar forcefully slapping a fan who approached him for a photograph.
Following the widespread backlash and intense reactions from the online community, Patekar promptly issued an apology, asserting that the incident was misconstrued.
Clarifying his stance in a video, the actor explained that he has never refused a photo request and that the incident occurred during the rehearsal of a scene from his upcoming film, “Journey.”
The shared video came with a caption emphasizing the misunderstanding: “The video circulating on social media has been misinterpreted by many. What happened was a misunderstanding during the rehearsal of a shot from my upcoming film Journey.”
Detailing the situation, Patekar stated that the scene was part of a rehearsal, and he mistakenly believed that the individual he slapped was a crew member.
In the video, Patekar explained, “A video is going viral where I have hit a boy. Though this sequence is a part of our film, we had one rehearsal. We were scheduled to have a second rehearsal. The director told me to begin, and we were about to start when the boy came in.”
Patekar added that, assuming the boy was part of the crew, he proceeded to slap him as per the scene’s requirements.
“I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was one of our crew, so I slapped him as per the scene and told him to leave,” he recounted.
Expressing regret, Patekar revealed that he attempted to locate the boy, but he had already left by then. “I came to know that he was not a part of the crew. So, I was going to call him back, but he ran away. Maybe his friend shot the video,” the actor explained.
Joining his hands in a gesture of apology, Patekar stated, “I have never said no to anybody for a photo. I don’t do this… This happened by mistake. If there is some misunderstanding, please forgive me. I will never do anything like this again.”
Reportedly, the incident occurred on the set of his upcoming movie “Journey” in Varanasi.
Despite Patekar’s apology, social media users swiftly responded, with some expressing skepticism and questioning the authenticity of the explanation.
On the professional front, Patekar was last seen in Vivek Agnihotri’s “The Vaccine War” and is currently involved in the production of his upcoming movie, “Journey,” directed by Anil Sharma, renowned for “Gadar.” The film will also feature his son, Utkarsh Sharma.
