Nana Patekar Dies at 75; Tanushree Dutta Needs Time to React
Nana Patekar died at 75 after a cardiac arrest in Goa. Tanushree Dutta, whose 2018 allegations sparked a #MeToo flashpoint, shared a guarded first response.
Veteran actor Nana Patekar died at 75 after a cardiac arrest at his Goa residence on October 8, and Tanushree Dutta — whose 2018 allegations against him became a defining #MeToo moment in Bollywood — has offered a measured first response.
The actor was found unresponsive at his home in Dona Paula early on Thursday and rushed to Manipal Hospital. Doctors attempted CPR for roughly 45 minutes before he was declared dead at about 5:20 AM IST. His son Malhar Patekar confirmed the news shortly afterwards.
Tanushree Dutta’s first reaction
Dutta addressed the news in a social media video before travelling to Lucknow for a work event. She said she had heard the news and was trying to keep her focus on the day.
“What an odd day for all this to happen… I will give my reaction once I figure out what kind of reaction I should have. Definitely condolences to the family.”
She also used the phrase “evil dead” while saying she expected media attention to centre on the news by evening.
Why her response is being read closely
Dutta and Patekar’s names have been tied together since 2018, when she alleged he behaved inappropriately during a 2008 song shoot for Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss. Patekar and the filmmakers denied the allegations. The moment became one of Bollywood’s most visible chapters in India’s #MeToo movement.
- An FIR was registered at Mumbai’s Oshiwara Police Station in October 2018, and Patekar stepped away from Housefull 4 amid public pressure.
- In June 2019, Mumbai Police filed a B-Summary report citing no prima facie evidence to proceed, which Dutta challenged through a protest petition.
- In March 2025, an Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate court disposed of the case, citing limitation and insufficient corroborative evidence. Dutta has said she stands by her account.
A loss that leaves a larger question open
Patekar’s passing closes a significant career, but for many fans it does not quietly close the conversation around accountability that his name still triggers. Dutta’s pause is a reminder that grief and unresolved grievance can sit side by side, especially when the public has watched every turn of a case play out.
Her full reaction may come after the Lucknow event. For now, her words have already reframed Thursday’s headlines beyond a simple obituary: a death is being felt as a loss, but also as a reopened memory of a movement that changed the way Bollywood talks about power and safety. Keep an eye on Dutta’s next statement — she indicated she will speak once she has processed the day.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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