Nana Patekar recently spoke about Manisha Koirala‘s performance in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali series Heeramandi, breaking his silence on her rumored ex-girlfriend status. He admitted to watching the show and being impressed by her acting.
Despite his admiration for Manisha’s performance, Nana did not personally congratulate her because he no longer has her current phone number.
Heeramandi debuted on Netflix in May, with Manisha receiving acclaim for her role as Mallikajaan. Speaking to The Lallantop, Nana praised her as a ‘great actress’ and remarked, “Bohot accha kaam kiya. (She’s done a very good job in the show).” When asked if he reached out to her to convey his appreciation, Nana hesitated briefly, explaining, “Phone number woh same nahi hai shayad ab (Her phone number isn’t the same anymore I think).”
For those unaware, Nana and Manisha reportedly had a secretive relationship during the filming of Agni Sakshi in 1996. At that time, Manisha had just ended her relationship with Vivek Mushran and was drawn to Nana’s personality. Nana, who was married to Neelakanti at the time, was living separately from his wife.
Their romance became more public during their collaboration on Khamoshi, but eventually ended after Nana allegedly cheated on Manisha.
In the same interview, Nana also addressed the MeToo allegations raised by Tanushree Dutta against him. He dismissed them as lies, expressing that he did not feel anger because he knew the accusations were false. Reflecting on the past allegations, Nana emphasized that everyone knew the truth and he had nothing more to say about them. He expressed frustration over being accused without evidence, stating, “What could I have said back then when none of it happened?”
