[Source: Reuters]

Veteran actor Nana Patekar has issued a public apology in response to a video circulating online that captured him slapping a fan who approached him for a selfie.

In the video, Nana explained the incident, stating that he mistook the fan for an actor involved in the film they were shooting.

Speaking in Hindi, Nana clarified, “Namaskar. A video is going viral where I hit a boy. There is a sequence in the film where a boy comes from behind and says ‘Ae budhau, topi bechni hai (hey old man, do you want to sell your hat)?’ and I catch him, smack him and ask him to behave properly and he runs away.” Nana went on to elaborate that they had only one rehearsal scheduled for the scene, but before they could start the second rehearsal, the fan in question entered the frame. Assuming the fan was part of the crew, Nana claimed that he followed the script and slapped him.

It was later revealed that the fan was not associated with the film crew. Expressing his regret, Nana stated, “Though this sequence is a part of our film, we had one rehearsal.

We were scheduled to have a second rehearsal. The director told me to begin. We were about to begin when the boy in the video came in. I didn’t know who he was, I thought he was one of our crew, so I slapped him as per the scene and I told him to leave. Later, I came to know that he was not a part of the crew. So, I was going to call him back but he ran away. Maybe his friend shot the video. I have never said no to anybody for a photo. I don’t do this… This happened by mistake… If there is some misunderstanding, please forgive me… I will never do anything like this…”