Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar has died at the age of 75. He suffered a cardiac arrest at his Goa residence on Thursday morning, according to Indian media reports.
Over a career of nearly five decades, Patekar became one of the most recognisable faces in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He won three National Awards and received the Padma Shri in 2013.
Maharashtra’s Cultural Affairs Minister, Ashish Shelar, has announced that he will be given a state funeral.
What Happened?
A medical team was sent to his home after complaints of chest pain. They reportedly found him unconscious and tried to revive him with CPR before taking him to hospital. He was declared dead early on Thursday morning.
Death Details
- Age: 75
- Cause: Cardiac arrest
- Place: His residence in Goa
- Confirmed by: Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital, Goa, who spoke to news agency ANI
- Post-mortem: A medico-legal case has been registered, and a post-mortem will be conducted. No findings have been made public yet.
Patekar’s Legacy
Patekar was known for intense, hard-hitting roles. His career began with Gaman in 1978, and he later appeared in Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay!
His National Awards came for Parinda and Agni Sakshi (Best Supporting Actor) and Krantiveer (Best Actor).
Younger viewers know him best as the soft-hearted gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome (2007).
Off screen, he served in the Indian Army and took part in the 1999 Kargil War. He also ran the Naam Foundation.
Official Statements
- Ashish Shelar, Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister: announced a state funeral in recognition of Patekar’s contribution to Indian and Marathi cinema.
- Dr Shekhar Salkar: confirmed the death to ANI.
The funeral date and time and any statement from the family had not been announced at the time of writing. This article will be updated.
Tributes have been pouring in since the news broke. The offer of a state funeral shows how highly the government regarded his work, especially in Marathi cinema.
Patekar’s roles tended to stay with audiences long after the credits rolled. For many fans, he was the actor who could be terrifying, funny, and deeply human in the same film. His loss leaves a gap that Hindi and Marathi cinema will find hard to fill.
