Nana Patekars last public appearance: Played the shamel, danced with Goas artists and said I dont know If Ill be here tomorrow
Four days before his death, Nana Patekar played the shamel and joined the dekhni dance in Goa and spoke of mortality. Here is his last appearance
PTC Web Desk: Just four days before he died, Nana Patekar was out among Goa's folk artists, playing a traditional instrument, joining a local dance and speaking, in his usual unfiltered way, about the stage he had loved all his life.
He told the audience he did not know whether he would still be around the next day. The veteran actor died early Thursday at his home in Dona Paula, Goa. He was 75.
A Sunday spent with Goa's folk artists
Nana Patekar was present at the Goa Tourism Day celebrations on Sunday, October 4, where he spent time with local performers before addressing the gathering in Marathi. Video clips from the event show him playing the shamel, a traditional percussion instrument, and taking part in the dekhni, a Goan folk dance.
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'I don't want to do anything else'
On stage, he went back to his early years in theatre. He recalled taking part in a state-level play competition and said the recognition he got there gave him the confidence and direction he needed at that stage of life.
His love for the stage, he made clear, had not faded. He said he did not wish to do anything else and wanted to keep doing theatre.
The words that now carry a different weight
Patekar then turned to a more reflective note. He said everyone has to go one day, that he did not know if he would be there tomorrow and that such a time comes in every person's life. He wondered aloud whether he had managed to do what he wanted and whether he had truly tried before that moment arrived.
At the time, it sounded like the thoughts of a man in his seventies looking back. After Thursday's news, it reads very differently.
What happened on the morning of his death
Nana Patekar was found unconscious at his apartment and taken to a private hospital. Dr Shekhar Salkar, a senior doctor there, said CPR was given for about 45 minutes, but the actor could not be revived. He was declared dead at 5.20 am.
Dr Salkar shared what a friend of the actor had told the medical team. Patekar reportedly messaged the friend at around 3.30 am to say he was unwell. The friend noticed the message at about 4 am and hurried to the house, where Patekar lived with a caretaker.
The caretaker then called the hospital and an ambulance was sent. According to the doctor, treatment started inside the ambulance itself.
Postmortem and legal procedure
His body was shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital in Bambolim for a postmortem to establish the exact cause of death. A medico-legal case has also been registered, which is the standard step in such cases.
A career that belonged to two languages
Patekar was among the few actors who commanded equal respect in Hindi and Marathi cinema, with a screen presence that no one else quite matched. His best-known Hindi films include Parinda, Prahaar, Tirangaa, Krantiveer, Khamoshi and Welcome.
He won three National Film Awards, several Filmfare Awards, the Maharashtra State Film Award and Filmfare Awards Marathi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, one of the country's highest civilian awards.
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