Interview: Nana Patekar on Vivek Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War | Not Just Bollywood

Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Vaccine War highlights the nation’s war against Covid-19 and how we fought it. The film will give an insight into India’s remarkable victory in preparing the best vaccine for the world to save them from the hazardous COVID-19 pandemic. In a conversation, actor Nana Patekar mentions as to why he agreed to do the film and why it is important for actors to stay grounded in life. He believes in leading a simple life and doing selective war.

The story of The Vaccine War delves deeper into the nation and its scientists’ war against the virus, how we fought, combated and ultimately overpowered it. The film will feature Anupam Kher, Nana Patekar, Sapthami Gowda, and Pallavi Joshi as lead characters. Produced by Pallavi Joshi, the film is all set for a release on September 28.

Edited excerpts:

What was there in this role that made you say ‘yes’ to it?

I was totally ignorant like many of us about the vaccine war and I wanted people to know about it. I was not even interested as to how much I get paid for my work in The Vaccine War, what was important to me was to let the people know who were those warriors during the COVID time who risked their own lives to save the nation.

It was important for the people to know that there was a team of women who were actually the main creators of the vaccine. My character Dr Balram Bhargava here is just leading that team. There was so much research that went into the making of the film that most of the time I was astonished to know that such instances happened during the COVID time.

Did you meet DR Balram Bhargava while doing The Vaccine War?

No, I wished I had, but I really didn’t have the time. But when the shooting got over we had a program with the scientists and he was there. He was surprised at my performance as to how managed to do it so well without meeting him. I told him that the credit goes to my director Vivek Agnihotri who told me every detail about you. I am just an artist who does what is instructed by the director.

 What keeps you so grounded?

 I lead a very simple life and I am in this profession because I am fond of acting and if this acting brings happiness to people’s life, I get satisfaction from it.

Now people ask me why I do selective work. To which I have to say what I will do with all the money. During my younger days, I used to take up one work after another because I needed the money to make a house like any other ordinary man and I am an ordinary man. Then comes the need for a car. It’s human to have desires, but now with time I have realised that it is better to come out of the vicious cycle of human desires and that is the way we can live our life the way we want to. Otherwise you end up living your life in square feet. And we keep asking each other how much is the square feet of your house and we end up saying if yours is 200, mine is 800. That decides the status of our life. The day we are able to come out of the vicious cycle of square feet, that is the real achievement.

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