Veteran actress Madhoo Shah has opened up about a memorable incident from the sets of the 1997 film Yeshwant, revealing that co-star Nana Patekar slapped her for real during an emotional scene — only for her to immediately slap him back.In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Madhoo recalled how the experience became an unexpected lesson in method acting and changed the way she approached performances.
‘He told us, no glycerine, feel the emotion’
Speaking about working with Nana Patekar, Madhoo said the actor was deeply committed to authenticity and encouraged his co-stars to rely on genuine emotions rather than cinematic shortcuts.“Hum abhi Nana Patekar ji ke saath… I became a method actor. Ek scene tha ki hum glycerine daal kar scene ke liye ready hote the aur woh bolte the, ‘No glycerine. Feel karo, aansu aane chahiye.'”According to Madhoo, she was struggling to bring out tears naturally during a crucial emotional sequence.
‘He slapped me for real and I slapped him back’
Recalling the moment, Madhoo said Nana surprised her during the take by 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 got really angry. I gave him one back for real.”Madhoo explained that her reaction was instinctive rather than planned.“Unhone maana, mera reflex unko wapas maarne ka tha.”
‘The emotions became completely real’
The actress revealed that the sequence was one of the most important scenes in Yeshwant and director Anil Mattoo had allocated an entire day to film it.“Pura din us scene ke liye rakha gaya tha. Woh husband-wife ke beech ka most crucial scene tha.”She said the real exchange of slaps 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 powerful that the team wrapped up 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, Madhoo credited Nana Patekar with teaching her a different philosophy of acting.“So I learned method acting with Nana ji.”She explained that before working with him, she considered herself a “switch-on, switch-off” performer who could joke around off camera and instantly transform when the camera started rolling.However, Nana’s approach convinced her that actors should immerse themselves in their characters.“Nana ji ke saath kaam karke laga, that’s not the way. Aap acting mat karo, character ko feel karo, usse jiyo. Jo character feel karta hai, usse jee kar dikhao.”The actress added that while Nana Patekar is often perceived as intimidating, he never displayed anger towards her personally.“Mere saath unhone kabhi woh side nahi dikhayi. Jab bhi displeasure dikhaya, woh mere performance ko better karne ke liye tha.”
