Nana Patekar Dies at 75 After Cardiac Arrest
Veteran Hindi and Marathi cinema actor Nana Patekar died at 75 after a cardiac arrest. Colleagues remember a fearless performer and quiet philanthropist.
Veteran actor Nana Patekar died at 5.20 am on Thursday after a cardiac arrest at his residence. He was 75. Dr Shekhar Salkar, chief of the department of oncology at Manipal Hospital, told ANI that CPR was administered for 45 minutes, and that the actor stayed in asystole throughout that period. A medico-legal case is complete and a post-mortem will follow.
The loss has hit the industry hard. Tributes began flowing within hours, from casting directors to political leaders, and they share a common thread: Patekar was that rare actor whose intensity on screen was matched by a simple, private life off it.
Colleagues remember a simple-hearted powerhouse
Mukesh Chhabra wrote that he was shocked and called the news unbelievable. Riteish Deshmukh, who worked with Patekar in Bluffmaster and Housefull 5, wrote that words had failed him and described Patekar as the sky of acting. Khushbu Sundar called him a simple-hearted human and an actor par excellence, adding that she had the honour to work with him. Devendra Fadnavis remembered Patekar as both a towering screen figure and a close friend whose compassion emerged through drought relief and work with farmers.
A career built on raw, fearless performances
Patekar made his debut in the 1978 film Gaman and went on to become one of the most distinctive faces in Hindi and Marathi cinema. His strongest work was often built on restraint and anger held just beneath the surface. These are the roles that made him impossible to imitate:
- Parinda and Prahaar established his early intensity.
- Krantiveer and Ab Tak Chhappan cemented his image as a fearless, unpolished hero.
- Natsamrat showed a more vulnerable, theatrical side in Marathi.
He remained active in recent years. He was part of Housefull 5 with Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh, played a police officer in Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo with Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, and made a cameo in Subedar with Anil Kapoor and Radhika Madan.
Why this feels like the end of an era
Patekar was part of a generation of actors who built stardom without a conventional hero template. He did not rely on glamour or a fixed formula; his power came from body language, dialect and a refusal to soften a character’s rough edges. That is why the tributes are not just about his filmography, but about what he represented: an actor who could be a radiant hero, a chilling villain or a serious man with sudden comic timing, often within the same career.
Suvendu Adhikari wrote that Indian cinema has lost one of its fiercest, most genuine and irreplaceable voices, adding that Patekar breathed raw, unapologetic truth into every character. Neil Nitin Mukesh recalled how Patekar inspired younger actors to find their own identity rather than imitate someone else.
Beyond the screen
Patekar’s legacy is not only cinematic. Along with Makarand Anaspure, he founded the Naam Foundation and worked directly in villages and fields to help farmers and drought-hit communities. Devendra Fadnavis noted that when the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan was launched, Patekar came forward to support it himself.
For an audience that grew up watching him, the most fitting tribute may be to return to one of his performances, or to support the foundation that carried his biggest off-screen role.
Source: Hindustan Times
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