Veteran actor Madhoo Shah He opens up about a memorable incident on the sets of the 1997 film Yeshwant, revealing that co-star Nana Patekar she gave him a real slap in the face in an emotional scene – only to immediately pull back.In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Madhoo recalled how the experience became an unexpected lesson in method acting and how it changed the way he approached acting.
“He told us, no glycerine, feel the emotion”
Talking about working with Nana Patekar, Madhu said the actor was committed to authenticity and encouraged his co-stars to rely on real emotions rather than literal shortcuts.“Hum abhi Nana Patekar ji ke saath… I became a method actor. Ek scene tha ki hum glycerin daal kar scene ke liye ready hote the aur woh bolte the, ‘No glycerin. Feel it karo, aansu aane chahiye.”According to Madhoo, she was struggling to let the tears flow naturally during a crucially emotional sequence.
‘He really slapped me and I slapped him back’
Recalling the moment, Madhu said Nana surprised him as he picked her up, slapping her without warning.“Aansu nahi aa rahe the us scene mein, toh unhone scene mein mujhe real ka thappad maar diya. Rehearsal mein aisa nahi hua tha. Unhone mujhe shock kar diya take mein.”The actress admitted that the unexpected slap left her furious.“Main bahut gusse wali ladki thi aur shayad abhi bhi hoon. I was very angry. I gave him a real one.”Madhoo explained that her reaction was instinctive rather than planned.“Unhone maana, mera reflex unko wapas maarne ka tha.”
“The emotions became very real”
The actor revealed that the sequence was one of Yeshwant’s most important scenes and that director Anil Mattoo spent a whole day shooting it.“Pura din us scene ke liye rakha gaya tha. Woh husband-wife ke beech ka most crucial scene tha.”He said the real slap exchange between the two actors brought out raw emotions that translated perfectly on screen.“Dono logon ne ek doosre ko real mein thappad maare. Master shot mein jo emotion nikla, woh real ka real tha.”According to Madhoo, the impact of the scene was so strong that the team ended early.“Nana ji ne kaha, ‘Iske baad tum kya loge yaar? Kya close-up loge?’ Aur uske baad pack-up ho gaya.”
“I learned method acting from Nana ji”
Reflecting on the experience, Madhu credits Nana Patekar with teaching her a different philosophy of acting.“So I learned method acting with Nana ji.”Before working with her, she explained that she considered herself an “on-and-off” performer, able to crack jokes off-camera and instantly transform when the camera started rolling.However, Nana’s approach convinced the actors that they should immerse themselves in their characters.“Nana ji ke saath kaam karke laga, that’s not the way. Aap actor mat karo, character ko kintita karo, usse jiyo. Jo character kintita karta hai, usse jee kar dikhao.”The actor added that although Nana Patekar is often perceived as intimidating, he never showed any personal anger towards him.“Mere saath unhone kabhi woh side nahi dikhayi. Jab bhi dikhaya displeasure, woh mere performance ko better karne ke liye tha.”
