It was in Goa that I met this great actor more than a decade ago and it’s indeed ironic for me that three-time National-Award winning actor, Padma Shri recipient Nana Patekar breathed his last in the same city of beaches.The world may have known him as an angry man, our encounter was with his endearing persona, whose presence lit up the screen and interaction was peppered with witty, intelligent even self-mocking responses. He was a self-confessed angry man but the anger he shared stemmed from the injustices in the world around him.His empathy, however, was not surface level euphemism. If on screen he played Dr Prakash Amte, Baba Amte’s equally humanitarian son and could not help but praise both the father and the son glowingly, Nana walked the talk.Related news: Nana Patekar: Ten most iconic roles he played on screenNana Patekar texted friend at 3.30 am saying he was unwell before death in GoaHis work for farmers in distress has often been spoken about. Last year, post Operation Sindoor, he was seen distributing relief material to Pakistan shelling victims in Rajouri, Poonch and even committed to sponsor the education of 11-year-old girl, who had lost her father.The man who nailed his role as an Army officer in Prahar, written and directed by him, earned him the honorary rank of Captain. He even served during the Kargil war and held the Armed Forces in high regard. And, there is no disputing the regard and respect he received in the film industry.Among the bevy of stars, in crowded multi-starrers, he stood tall. Even in his supporting roles, he was second to none. More recently, when he made his OTT debut in Prakash Jha’s web series ‘Sankalp’, his lead character of Maat Saab straddled the grey area of morality beautifully. Like a chameleon, he could be at once gently persuasive and cunningly deceptive, fluid and commanding.Audiences are likely to remember him more for his intense portrayals in films like ‘Parinda’, ‘Agni Sakshi’ and ‘Ab Tak Chappan’. Besides, who can forget the picture of restraint and poignancy as deaf Joseph Braganza of Khamoshi? But if his searing performances anchored more than one film the actor’s comic timing was no less impeccable.Part of laugh riots like ‘Welcome’ and ‘Welcome Back’, his legendary laugh is fodder for more than one Instagram meme. In real life his sardonic humour was no less fascinating.#MeToo allegations might have cast a shadow on his illustrious career but he was and will always remain ‘Natsamrat’. If his eponymous role in Mahesh Manjrekar’s directorial ‘Natsamrat’ is testimony to his exceptional brilliance, the actor continued to give us a masterclass in acting time and again.Mercurial in real life, perhaps, he admitted to ‘losing his cool at the slightest provocation.’ But in films his malleable ability transformed as per the demands of a battery of diverse characters in over 80 films. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma with whom Nana worked in several films like ‘Bhoot’ and ‘Darna Mana Hai’ in a heartfelt tribute describes him as ‘God of acting.’The high-flown epithet isn’t really misplaced for the actor took each part, small, big, mainstream or niche cinema seriously. And his gravitas would remain not merely an inspiration but a subject of deep character study for students of cinema.