Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Nana Patekar Turned Car Savings Into Farmer Aid
Nana Patekar had saved money to buy a luxury car.
In 2015, he saw a television report about a farmer's family facing hardship after the farmer died by suicide.
He said the family's suffering made him question whether he needed the car.
He first planned to give money to farmers, but a friend suggested he meet widows who had lost their husbands.
Patekar and actor Makrand Anaspure then started the Naam Foundation.
The group worked to help farmers and their families in different ways.
The article says it has helped millions of farmers, along with disaster-hit families and widows.
Patekar said the foundation's work brought him more happiness than awards or money from acting.
After seeing a report about a farmer's family in 2015, Nana Patekar reconsidered spending Rs 1.5 crore on a luxury car.
He initially planned to give Rs 15,000 each to 1,000 farmers, then met women whose husbands had died.
Patekar and actor Makrand Anaspure established the Naam Foundation to address farmers' and families' wider needs.
The article says the foundation has helped more than 77 lakh farmers, 51,000 disaster-relief families and nearly 5,000 widows.
It also reports the foundation raised Rs 60 crore within two months and supported families of Army and paramilitary personnel.
- Who
- Actor Nana Patekar and actor Makrand Anaspure, through the Naam Foundation.
- What
- Patekar redirected money he had saved for a car toward helping farmers, and later helped establish a foundation supporting farmers and families.
- When
- The catalyst occurred in 2015; the article describes the foundation's work over the following decade.
- Where
- The crisis described took place in Maharashtra, including the Marathwada region.
- Why
- Patekar said a television report about a farmer's family and their hardship moved him to help.
- Money saved for car
- Rs 1.5 crore
- Initial planned donation
- Rs 15,000 each to 1,000 farmers
- Foundation
- Naam Foundation, started by Nana Patekar and Makrand Anaspure
- Funds raised
- Rs 60 crore within two months, according to the article
- Farmers helped
- More than 77 lakh, according to the article
- Other beneficiaries cited
- 51,000 disaster-relief families and nearly 5,000 widows
- Farmer suicides in Maharashtra in 2015
- 3,228; Marathwada accounted for 1,130, according to the article