Nana Patekar was meant to be the final guest on the first season of Shekhar Suman’s talk show Shekhar Tonite. After Patekar died on October 8 at the age of 75, Suman cancelled the finale rather than invite another celebrity to sit in the chair.
The decision means the season will not close with a traditional final interview. Instead, Suman plans to end it with the memory of an actor he called irreplaceable and someone who lived life on his own terms.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Suman remembered Patekar as fearless, brave and honest, and said the actor had agreed to appear after telling him he usually declines such invitations.
What Patekar told Suman
Suman said Patekar watched the show regularly and told him, “I want to come on your show.” Suman described that moment as feeling like a Padma Vibhushan. For a host, it was a guest-booking that validated the show: a veteran actor known for saying no, choosing to appear out of personal regard.
A bond that started with Tadap
The two actors first worked together on Sohanlal Kanwar’s 1990 film Tadap. Suman said the film was completed but never released, and the cancelled finale now carries the same fate: it will never reach the audience.
“It would have been the most beautiful conversation with him,” Suman said. He had already prepared his opening lines for the episode.
Why the finale won’t go ahead
- Patekar died after a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa.
- Doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes before he was declared dead at around 5:20 am.
- Suman did not feel like inviting anyone else: “No one can take his place.”
- The first season will now end with Patekar’s memories, not the planned conversation.
Patekar was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje village, Pune.
Source: Hindustan Times
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