Nana shakes leg, breaks leg

Mumbai, Dec 6 (IANS) Nana Patekar is one irrepressible man. Even a severe foot injury while doing a dance number for his forthcoming release 'Horn Ok Please' hasn't put him down.

'It happens. It was quite a freak accident. I was dancing, twisted my ankle when my feet hit a stone. I heard something crack. I had a torn ligament. I had to go through an operation. It's okay. If you step into the kitchen you're bound to be burnt once in a while,' Nana told IANS.

But the actor, who is now out of action for at least two months, is enjoying every moment of the unscheduled vacation.

'And now I'm homebound in Pune and enjoying every bit of the time that god has given me.'

'I cook and read. I'm going through the collected works of one of my favourite authors Munshi Premchand. I've finished 'Godaan' and looking forward to the others. Badaa mazaa aa raha hai (it is great fun). In a couple of weeks I'll be able to hobble around. It will take some time for me to get back on my feet,' said the 56-year-old actor.

Another task that tops Nana's agenda is to finish the script for his next directorial venture.

'It's a sweet positive love story about an older man and a younger woman. I want either Rani Mukherjee or Vidya Balan for the film. They've a strength and innocence in their face. There're so many talented new actors, all so confident and individualistic.'

If some people thought that this break would mean spending some quality time with Nana, they are mistaken as the actor has banned everyone, including family, from visiting him.

'Nothing doing! It breaks the meditative rhythm that I've established for myself. Visitors will come, start a topic that has no bearing to the way I'm leading my life right now. I even forbade my sister from visiting. She wanted to come and look after me. One has to finally look afteroneself.'

Nana has two films on the floors. 'Shagird' with director Tigmanshu Dhulia is complete while the other, 'Horn Ok Please', needs a bit more work.

'It would've been completed in December but for this injury,' sighs Nana. 'Chalta hai...(its all right). But you mark my words, the film's director Rakesh Sarang will be among the five most talked-about directors of 2008.'

Nana's next release is Anees Bazmi's 'Welcome', a film that the actor apparently didn't enjoy shooting because of some differences with Akshay Kumar.

'No not at all!' Nana protests. 'I had great fun doing this film. Woh thoda-bahut jhamela to hota hai (some problems are always there). It's part of every team effort. I don't deny there was some problem. But we sorted it out.'

As for shaking leg with Mallika Sherawat, Nana gets uncharacteristically shy. 'Arrey nahin! I just do what the director asks me to. But I do enjoy dancing, I can't deny that. Never mind I can't do much of that right now.'