Nana Patekar's son Malhar reacts to Tanushree Dutta's remarks on actor's death

Late actor Nana Patekar's son, Malhar Patekar, has opened up about life after his father's death, while addressing rumours about his family dynamics and the claims made by actor Tanushree Dutta.Speaking to Hindustan Times, Malhar, without naming Tanushree, said the case in question had concluded long ago and that all he could do now was wish people well."Without naming anyone, I want to say that the case people are bringing up unnecessarily is already over. Judiciary se clear hua hain, case khatam ho chuka; phir bhi bol rahe [the case is over; they still keep talking]," he said.He added, "Aise logo ko mein unko kuch nahi boluga; joh sach hai wahi rahega, bhagwan unka bhala kare [I have nothing to say to such people. The truth will remain the truth. May God bless them], this is what I have to say to them." In 2018, Tanushree accused Nana Patekar and others of sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn OK Pleasss, a film she eventually quit. The former Miss India revisited her allegations against Nana, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and the film's producer during India's #MeToo movement.Following Patekar's death on October 8 in Goa, Tanushree shared a video on her Instagram Stories in which she referred to him as an "evil dead." She later told the media that she would never forget what Patekar had allegedly done to her or how she had been made to feel on the sets of the film.Malhar Patekar addresses rumours about his family In the same interview, Malhar also addressed rumours about his parents, Nana Patekar and Neelakanti Patekar. Several reports had suggested that the couple were separated and that their relationship had caused issues within the family. Malhar dismissed these claims, saying he had grown up in a loving family and that both his parents had given him the best childhood."Itna sab kuch viral ho raha, woh kitna ghalat hai [All this that's going viral is wrong]. Just because we don't share family pics on Insta, that doesn’t mean we don’t bond. Even after parting ways, my parents were on a good note; 38-39 saal ka bond tha [they had a 38-39-year bond], and things are never what they might look like...," he said.Addressing speculation about his father's health and whether he had been alone in his final days, Malhar added, "The things I read usska jawab yeh hain ke woh akele nahi thhe, kabhi nahin thhe [I want to address those rumours and tell everyone that he was not alone in his final days, he was never alone], nor was he unwell because we all never left his side; one of us was always with him. He was very active and doing two and a half hours of working out in a gym; youngsters nahin kar pate [even youngsters can't do it], that was his level of fitness," he explained.Nana Patekar's social work kept him happyMalhar also spoke about his father's social work, revealing that Patekar had devoted much of his time to helping people in his final days. He suggested that this was one of the reasons the actor had become selective about his film projects."He didn't want to do films as repetitive ho gya tha, so he wanted to make his own stories. He believed in evolving as an actor, and that he had in mind. I remember him telling me that 'kaam ek jaisa nahin hona chahiye [your should never do the same kind of work].'"Recalling his father's approach to choosing roles, Malhar said, "He did Khamoshi because he wanted to show that Nana can deliver his best without those heavy dialogues associated with his numerous characters."He added that social work had become a significant part of his father's life in recent years."More recently, it was social work that kept him at peace and happy; working on bringing schools to Kashmir and also working towards farmers was all that had been going on. And that is now my prerogative, too," he said.Patekar died of a heart attack in Goa after complaining of chest pain early morning. He was cremated with full state honours later that night at his farmhouse in Pune, in the presence of family members, friends and colleagues from the film industry.Patekar leaves behind a rich cinematic legacy spanning five decades. A theatre actor, he made his Hindi film debut in 1978 with Gaman. His notable performances include films such as Parinda (1989), Prahaar (1991), Tiranga (1993), Krantiveer (1994), Agni Sakshi (1996), Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Yeshwant (1997), Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), Apaharan (2005), Taxi No. 9 2 11 (2006), Welcome (2007), Raajneeti (2010) and Shagird (2011), among others.- Ends