Nana Patekar may face a hefty fine and even jail time if the fan he slapped in Varanasi files charges against him.
On Wednesday, a viral video surfaced showing actor Nana Patekar smacking a fan in the head during a film shoot. The fan was apparently seeking a selfie with the actor in the middle of the shoot, which angered Nana and he hit the fan. While the actor is facing criticism for his impulsive reaction online, his troubles may not exactly be over. In the past, actors have faced legal trouble for attacking fans. A similar case involving Govinda from 2008 is a stark reminder of that.
What is Nana Patekar’s slap controversy?
A viral video shows Nana Patekar slapping a fan on the back of his head while he was trying to take a selfie with the star. The incident reportedly took place in Varanasi where the National Award-winning actor is shooting an upcoming film. The video, which has since been shared widely on social media, has seen Nana been criticised and trolled for what many are calling ‘arrogant’ and ‘abusive’ behaviour. Some, however, have defended the actor as well, saying that he did over-react but the fan was interrupting a shoot, which was bound to irritate Nana.
How Govinda was fined Rs 5 lakh fine for slapping a fan
In 2008, Govinda landed in hot soup when he slapped a fan named Santosh Bateshwar Rai on the sets of his fim Money Hai To Honey Hai in Mumbai’s Filmistaan Studio. Santosh filed a complaint against the actor in February 2009 and appealed to the Bombay High Court later, saying the police was not acting on his complaint. While the High Court quashed the appeal, Santosh moved Supreme Court. In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled in Santosh’s favour, instructing Govinda to tender an unconditional apology to Santosh and pay Rs 5 lakh in compensation.
Will Nana Patekar face similar legal repercussions?
So far, it is unclear if the fan who Nana Patekar hit has taken any legal action or filed a complaint against the actor. But even in Govinda’ case, Santosh’s complaint was filed almost a year after the incident. So a delayed FIR could also spell trouble for Nana since there is precedent of an actor facing legal heat for a similar act. According to Indian Penal Code, slapping or hitting someone is considered assault and is a punishable offence under Section 352 of the IPC. If charged under this section, Nana Patekar could face up to three months in jail or a fine of up to Rs 500 or both. If the victim files a civil suit (like in Govinda case) demanding apology and compensation for loss of reputation, the fine can go much higher, like it did for Govinda.
However, whether this does happen or not completely depends on whether the victim files a complaint against Nana Patekar or whether some court decides to take suo motu action based on the viral video. Meanwhile, Nana has not commented on the incident yet.
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