He drinks the water, sits down in the lotus position (the pose of a king on his throne), and dies. In his death, he finally achieves what he could not in life: dignity, peace, and the silent applause of those who finally understood his tragedy. Natsamrat is not just about an old actor. It is a universal tragedy about the clash between art and commerce, between devotion and greed, between the parent who gives everything and the child who takes everything.
He and Aaji end up on the streets, then in a dilapidated, broken-down temple on the outskirts of the city—a far cry from the royal courts of his theatrical prime. The trauma breaks Aaji. She falls ill and dies. Ganpatrao is left completely alone. In his grief and rage, his mind begins to fracture. He no longer knows where reality ends and the stage begins. natsamrat written by
He starts speaking to imaginary audiences. He wears a torn, discarded royal cloak he found in a garbage heap. He uses a broom as a royal scepter. The local villagers and street children think he is a mad, harmless old man. They call him "Pagla Raja" (The Mad King). He drinks the water, sits down in the
"He was not a madman, Saheb. He was an emperor who had lost his kingdom." It is a universal tragedy about the clash
His condition is simple: he and his wife will live in the attached outhouse ( osari ), and his children will take care of them for life. Nana agrees enthusiastically, and Ganpatrao, blinded by love and old-world values, trusts him completely. Within months, the mask slips. Nana and his wife, who never appreciated art or sacrifice, begin treating the old couple as a burden. They mock Ganpatrao’s past glory, calling him a "washed-up clown." The final betrayal comes when Nana legally evicts them from the outhouse, claiming he needs the space for a home office.