{
  "id": 13636489,
  "title": "Tales Of Two Cinema Legends: Filmmaker Mehul Kumar Remembers Raaj Kumar And Nana Patekar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/tales-of-two-cinema-legends-filmmaker-mehul-kumar-remembers-raaj",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-11T03:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/lifestyle/tales-of-two-cinema-legends-filmmaker-mehul-kumar-remembers-raaj-kumar-and-nana-patekar"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mehul Kumar, a filmmaker with over four decades of experience in Gujarati and Hindi cinema, recalls working with two of India's most iconic actors, Raaj Kumar and Nana Patekar. These two legendary actors share an ironic connection as Raaj Kumar's centenary occurred on October 8, the day Nana Patekar stepped into immortality.\n\nMehul's first collaboration with Raaj Kumar began when he was approached by producer Pranlal Mehta to direct a Hindi film featuring the beloved actor. Upon meeting Raaj Kumar, the filmmaker was surprised to learn that the actor preferred Urdu scripts. Mehul quickly translated his story into Urdu, impressing Raaj Kumar who ultimately approved the project. The first day of shooting took place at Nayyar Bungalow in Madh Island, where a close-up of Raaj Kumar's feet landing on those of co-star Shakti Kapoor was captured during a fight scene. Raaj Kumar's unique approach to filmmaking was evident even on the first day, as he insisted on wearing a black suit with a white out-shirt for his don character, a style that became a signature look in later films.\n\nThe interview also reveals the rapport between Mehul Kumar and Nana Patekar, who appeared alongside Raaj Kumar in the film Tirangaa. Initially, Mehul had Rajinikanth in mind for the lead role, but later switched to Nana Patekar after the actor expressed interest in the project. Despite initial reservations due to Nana's reputation for badtameez, the two actors formed a close friendship during the shoot, which Mehul describes as a \"picnic.\" Both filmmakers shared a mutual respect for each other's craft, and the camaraderie between Raaj Kumar and Nana Patekar translated into memorable performances in Tirangaa.",
  "summary": "He’s been directing films now for close to four decades in Gujarati and Hindi, the high points being two huge hits with Raaj Kumar— Marte Dam Tak and Jungbaaz . Mehul Kumar’s biggest hit is with both Raaj and Nana Patekar— Tirangaa . It’s a quirk of fate that his two favourite heroes have an ironic connection: Raaj Kumar’s centenary fell on October 8 this year, the date when Nana stepped into…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}