“Nana Boltoy”: The 2017 Phone Call That Revealed Nana Patekar’s Quiet Bond With NDA Pune

By Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 8th October 2026: As tributes pour in for veteran actor Nana Patekar, who passed away early Thursday at the age of 75, one lesser-known aspect of his life in Pune was his quiet association with the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla.

For Patekar, the connection with the armed forces was not merely part of his work on screen. His long-standing admiration for military discipline and his association with the Indian Army were also reflected in his visits to the NDA, where he attended Passing Out Parades and interacted with cadets.

Patekar maintained a strong connection with the Khadakwasla-Donje area. His 27-acre farmhouse in Donje, near the foothills of Sinhagad and close to the NDA campus, was among his preferred retreats from Mumbai.

He was a familiar figure in the area and also maintained a residence on Law College Road in Pune, which he used during his visits to the city.

The 2017 NDA gate incident
My own substantive interaction with Patekar came in February 2017, when I was working with Sakal Times.

I was working on a report concerning an incident involving Patekar and the NDA’s security arrangements. According to the information available at the time, Patekar’s vehicle was stopped by security personnel after he was found to be overspeeding on the academy campus. During the checking, the guards found that his security pass had expired and that the vehicle did not have the required entry-pass sticker.

The incident led me to seek the NDA’s official version. At the time, I sent a detailed set of questions to the Defence PRO regarding the actor’s security pass.

Among the questions I raised were the grounds on which the pass had originally been issued, when it was issued and for what purpose, when and why it had been seized, and whether it had subsequently been returned and, if so, under what conditions.

I also sought specific clarification on when the pass had expired, whether the pass issued in 2007 had subsequently been renewed and, if so, in which years. I asked whether the new pass mentioned by the authorities carried only Patekar’s recent photograph or whether the vehicle details had also been changed.

Since the incident involved overspeeding, I also sought details about how authorities had caught him, whether he had been warned about speeding on the campus and what the speed limit at the NDA was.

The episode highlighted something that can easily get lost when a celebrity enters a high-security military establishment: at the NDA, personal familiarity or public stature cannot entirely replace security procedures.

Then came the phone call
I also contacted Patekar for his version.

He did not answer my call initially, so I sent him a text message.

About an hour later, my phone rang.

The first words I heard were, “Nana boltoy” — “Nana speaking.”

What stayed with me from that conversation was his response to the issue. Rather than being defensive, he was apologetic about the inconvenience at the gate.

Patekar explained that he had recently changed his vehicle. He told me that he respected the rules of the NDA, which he described as the country’s premier military training academy, and said he would obtain the required entry-pass sticker for the new vehicle so that the security personnel would not face any difficulty and his entry could be smooth. He also said he would abide by the speed limit on the campus.

It was a short conversation, but it remains memorable because of its simplicity.

Here was one of India’s most recognisable actors calling back a journalist to explain a relatively routine security-related issue. There was no attempt to dismiss the guards or the rules. Instead, he acknowledged the problem and said he would take steps to ensure that it did not create difficulty at the gate again.

We did not publish a news report on the incident at the time.

That was my only substantive interaction with Patekar for a news story.

A relationship that went beyond the gate
Patekar’s association with the NDA was not limited to questions of entry or security passes.

He attended the Passing Out Parade of the 133rd course on November 30, 2017, several months after the February incident. Dressed in a blazer, he interacted with the graduating cadets and encouraged the young men preparing to begin careers in the armed forces.

He also attended other Passing Out Parades at the academy over the years.

His presence at the NDA was consistent with a much longer association with the armed forces.

For Prahaar, his 1991 film centred on military life, Patekar underwent extensive training with the Maratha Light Infantry in Belagavi, Karnataka. His association with the armed forces continued later, including his time with troops during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

Those experiences appear to have left a lasting impression on him. Patekar frequently spoke about his respect for military discipline, courage and the values associated with service.

Khadakwasla was more than a location
For Patekar, Khadakwasla was also close to home — literally.
His farmhouse at Donje placed him near the NDA and the foothills of Sinhagad, away from the intensity of Mumbai. The surroundings offered the kind of privacy and quiet that suited a personality who, despite his immense popularity, often maintained a relatively private life.

His repeated visits to the NDA and interactions with cadets suggested a connection that went beyond physical proximity.

There was an ease about his presence in the area. At the academy, he was not simply an actor being invited for a ceremonial appearance. He appeared to have a genuine interest in the institution and the young cadets preparing for military service.

A small phone call, a lasting memory
Patekar’s passing has brought back memories of many facets of his life — the intense performer, filmmaker, social worker and his association with the armed forces.

For me, the memory is much smaller.

It is of a journalist working on a story in February 2017, trying to get both sides of an incident involving an actor and the NDA’s security arrangements.

And then, about an hour after sending a message, the phone ringing.
“Nana boltoy.”

The conversation lasted only a short while. But what remained was his willingness to explain himself, acknowledge the issue and respect the institution whose security personnel had stopped his vehicle.

That brief exchange also offered a glimpse of a side of Patekar that rarely made headlines — his understated respect for military institutions and the discipline that governed them.

As India remembers Nana Patekar, his association with the National Defence Academy remains a lesser-known chapter of a life that extended well beyond cinema.

For Pune, it is also a reminder of the actor’s quieter connection with the city — not just through his home in Donje, but through an institution he appeared to hold in genuine regard.