Nana Patekar studied at Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. During his stint at college, he was very active in inter-college dramatics. He studied engineering at IIT in the early '70s. It was a four-year degree course then and he used to take part in many college drama functions.He made his debut in the film Gaman in 1978.Nana Patekar is married to Neelakanti and they have a son, Malhar. He is famous for his brash style of delivering dialogues. He is also a sketch artist, a secret not known to the outside world. His sketches have sometimes helped the Mumbai Police track criminals. He is Patekar has also done some playback singing in the films Yeshwant (1997), Wajood (1998) and Aanch (2003).He was awarded the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Parinda (1989). The year 1991 saw the release of Nana's directorial debut, Prahaar. The film made news for its unique storyline and the performances of Madhuri Dixit, Dimple Kapadia and Nana Patekar. The music by Laxmikant Pyarelal was simple and soul-stirring. In 1992, he also won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role in Angaar.In 1994, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Krantiveer. He has also won the Filmfare Award and the Star Screen Awards in the Best Actor category.