Nana Patekar Dies: Indian Cinema Loses a Legend

Nana Patekar, the veteran Indian actor known for fiery performances across Hindi and Marathi cinema over nearly five decades, died on Thursday, October 8, at his home in Goa. He was seventy-five. The Indian Awaaz and other outlets reported the news early Thursday morning.

Nana Patekar was found unconscious at his residence in Dona Paula early Thursday and taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors worked to revive him for about forty-five minutes before declaring him dead shortly after five in the morning. Dr. Shekhar Salkar, chief of the oncology department at Manipal Hospital, told news agency ANI that the actor had suffered a severe cardiac arrest, though what set it off was not immediately clear. Reuters also reported the death, citing ANI and local media. Because Patekar was not a registered patient at the hospital, police registered a medico-legal case as a matter of procedure, and his body was taken to Goa Medical College for a post-mortem examination.

According to reports, Nana Patekar had complained of left-sided chest pain to a friend around half past two in the morning before becoming unresponsive. His son Malhar Patekar confirmed the death and said he was travelling to Goa and would issue a detailed statement. Only four days earlier, the actor had appeared in good spirits at a public event in Dona Paula on October 4, where he spoke for over an hour and paid tribute to former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

From Marathi theatre to Bollywood stardom

Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, in nineteen fifty-one, Nana Patekar started out doing theatre in Marathi before moving into films. His Hindi film debut came with Gaman in the late nineteen seventies, and wider recognition followed with Ankush and then with his chilling turn as the gangster Anna in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda, which won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and established his reputation for bringing extraordinary intensity and depth to complex roles. He had already appeared in Mira Nair's award-winning Salaam Bombay, and he went on to stack up memorable roles in Krantiveer, Ab Tak Chhappan and Welcome, sharing the screen with stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and shifting between serious and comic parts with unusual ease.

Unlike conventional Bollywood stars, Nana Patekar built his identity through realistic, emotionally charged and often unconventional characters rather than glamour or a stereotypical leading-man image. He built his reputation on the force of his acting: a commanding voice, intense expressions and dialogue delivery that could fill a theatre. The performances brought him several National Film Awards and the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, and he also directed and wrote films. He is survived by his wife, from whom he was separated, and a son.

Tributes and a state funeral

Actor Akshay Kumar, who starred alongside Nana Patekar in several films, said Patekar had a rare gift for holding the screen with little visible effort, and praised the voice, the intensity and the honesty he brought to every performance. The two had shared the screen in several films over the years. Former India cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane also paid tribute, with Dhawan calling him a truly special talent whose work would keep influencing audiences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death as well, saying Nana Patekar brought intensity, individuality and a strong presence to his roles and that his versatility gave audiences characters they would remember for generations.

Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar announced that Nana Patekar would be given a state funeral, a decision taken by the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government in recognition of what Shelar called his unparalleled contribution to Marathi theatre and to Marathi and Hindi cinema. His last rites were scheduled for Thursday evening at Donaje village near Pune.

Actor Tanushree Dutta, who had previously accused Nana Patekar of misconduct during India's MeToo movement, also reacted publicly to the news of his death, closing a difficult chapter between two figures whose public falling-out had once dominated entertainment headlines.