The courtroom drama began on a rain‑shaded evening in 1992, when SRK, fresh off "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa", found himself cuffed after a heated exchange with a journalist over a tabloid rumor.
His wrist was still clutching the ceremonial kukri his father‑in‑law had gifted him—an odd choice for a film star but a Punjabi bride’s tradition—while he threatened the reporter with a threat that echoed the film's action scenes.
Enter Nana Patekar, then a rising thespian, who dialed the court, swore an intervention, and leveraged his own reputation to secure SRK’s bail on a weekend hearing. Patekar, who had co‑starred with SRK in "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman", later recalled the moment and said, "I was the one who pulled the strings that day."
Years later, SRK still nods to the veteran when meeting him at the IFFI, and Patekar's sudden death in 2024 left the industry with a poignant reminder that even icons are bound by friendship. The episode remains a testament to the old‑school camaraderie that still colors Bollywood's glittering surface.