Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar, famed for his intense and fiery performances on stage and screen, has died at the age of 75 in Goa.
Patekar, a three-time winner of the National Film Award, was one of Indian cinema’s most recognisable faces. He was known for playing difficult and often volatile characters, and was also a prominent figure in Marathi cinema and theatre.
He was taken to hospital after being found unconscious at his home in the early hours of Thursday. Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital in Goa told the ANI news agency that doctors gave him 45 minutes of continuous CPR but could not revive him.
Dr Salkar later told the PTI news agency that the medical team found Patekar “unconscious and almost unresponsive” at home. CPR continued on the way to the hospital, about 10 minutes away, but he was dead by the time they arrived. According to the doctor, Patekar suffered a cardiac arrest, though what triggered it remains unclear.
Family, friends and fans paid their last respects at Goa Medical College before his funeral, which was held with full state honours at his farmhouse in Pune, Maharashtra. His remains were flown to Pune by air ambulance, where Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid his respects. He was then cremated at his farm in Donje village.
The Times of India reports that Patekar’s son, Malhar, told reporters his father had not truly gone anywhere and would remain with the family, and that his commitment to social welfare would live on.
Tributes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, praising Patekar’s versatility and outspoken personality. He wrote on X that the actor portrayed characters who would “remain etched in the memory of generations,” adding that his death had left “a vast void in the artistic world.”
Anupam Kher described his friend as “one of the finest actors and human beings in Indian cinema,” saying he would miss his warmth and extraordinary performances.
Shah Rukh Khan called Patekar “a mentor, a teacher, a critic and a friend,” saying he had left a void “not only in the world of cinema but in the hearts of all Indians.”
Akshay Kumar, who starred with him in the comedy film Welcome, remembered him as a rare performer whose voice, intensity and honesty could command an audience’s attention.
Career
Patekar made his film debut in Gaman in 1978 and played smaller roles for several years. His breakthrough came with Parinda in 1989, in which he played the gangster Anna. The role made him a household name across India and earned him his first National Film Award and a Filmfare Award.
He went on to play many memorable roles through the 1990s. His dialogues, delivered in his rasping voice, were widely quoted in school corridors and at tea stalls, and many comedians still imitate his style today.
He earned praise for playing Major Chauhan in Prahaar, a film he also directed. His other acclaimed roles included the patriotic hero of Tirangaa and Pratap Narayan Tilak in Krantiveer. In Khamoshi, he surprised critics who had pegged him as a loud-character actor with a moving performance as a man who could not hear or speak.
His three National Film Awards came for Parinda, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi. He also worked behind the camera as a director and writer, and stayed active in theatre throughout his career, with Purush and Hamidabai Chi Kothi among his best-known plays.
Film trade analyst Komal Nahta told the BBC that Patekar was outspoken and difficult to get along with, yet directors still wanted to work with him “because he was simply a fantastic actor.”
Activism and controversy
Patekar was known for criticising the government of the day, and did so openly and unapologetically. Farmers’ issues were particularly close to his heart. In 2015, he and actor Makarand Anaspure founded the Naam Foundation, which works on farmer welfare and water conservation in Maharashtra.
His career was not without controversy. In 2018, actor Tanushree Dutta accused him of sexual harassment over an alleged incident on a film set a decade earlier, an allegation that helped spark India’s #MeToo movement. Patekar denied it, and in 2019 police cleared him, saying they found insufficient evidence.
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