Nana Patekar dies at 75: Veteran actor collapses with chest pain in Goa, cremation tonight in Pune with state honours
PTC Web Desk: Indian cinema lost one of its most intense and fearless performers on Thursday, October 8. Nana Patekar, 75, died of a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa in the early hours of the morning. The actor, known for his unmistakable voice and raw screen presence, had been a towering name in both Hindi and Marathi films for nearly five decades.
What happened in the early hours
According to his son, Malhar Patekar, the actor complained of severe chest pain overnight. A medical team was sent to his flat but found him unresponsive. They tried to revive him on the spot and then rushed him to Manipal Hospital. Doctors kept trying for roughly 45 minutes, but could not bring him back. He was declared dead at about 5:20 am, as reported by ANI.
Because Patekar was not a registered patient at the hospital, staff followed standard procedure and informed the police. His body was sent to Goa Medical College for a post-mortem before being handed over to the family.
Hospital doctor explains the timeline
Dr Shekhar Salkar, head of oncology at Manipal Hospital, spoke to the media and described the sequence of events. He said Patekar was already unresponsive when he reached the hospital, somewhere around 4 to 4:30 am, and was pronounced dead close to 5.30 am. CPR continued for almost 45 minutes to an hour, but nothing worked.
As the doctor recalled it, Patekar messaged a friend around 2:30 am to say he was unwell. Since the friend was asleep and missed the message, Patekar phoned him. The friend reached the actor's home at about 4 am and found him sweating and slipping in and out of consciousness. After basic first aid, Patekar's caretaker, who lived close to the hospital, went to fetch help and came back with an ambulance and the emergency team, who began CPR at the house.
State funeral and cremation
In keeping with his last wishes, Patekar will be cremated tonight at his farm in Pune. Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar announced that the state government, headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will give him a state funeral with full honours. The decision recognises his contribution to Marathi theatre and to Marathi and Hindi cinema.
His last public appearance
Patekar was last seen in public on October 4, just four days before his death, at the installation ceremony of Samraat Club International at Dona Paula, Goa. In hindsight, his speech was strikingly reflective. He talked about responsibility and mortality and spoke warmly of the late Manohar Parrikar, the former Goa chief minister, whom he called a friend and someone he looked up to despite being older than him. He admired how much Parrikar achieved in a short life.
He also told the gathering that everyone has to leave one day, that he did not know if he would be around tomorrow, and that the real question is whether a person has done what they truly wanted to do.
From art school to the big screen
Patekar studied at the Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai before moving into theatre and films. He debuted in Hindi cinema with Gaman (1978), and early work such as Aaj Ki Awaaz, Pratighaat, Mohre and Trishagni showed he could handle demanding roles. Ankush (1986) gave his career real momentum.
Parinda and the 1990s: the peak years
The turning point was Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda (1989), in which he played the volatile gangster Anna. It won him the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The 1990s cemented his reputation. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain for Angaar (1992) and followed it with the hit Tirangaa (1993). As the fiery Pratap Narayan Tilak in Krantiveer (1994), he won the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Agni Sakshi (1996) brought him a third National Award, again for Best Supporting Actor. Films like Khamoshi: The Musical showed that his intensity worked just as well in quieter, emotional stories.
What set him apart in those years was range. He could play a frightening villain, a morally conflicted hero or a deeply vulnerable man and still stay unmistakably Nana.
The 2000s: cop, politician and comic gangster
In Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), he played Sadhu Agashe, a hardened Mumbai police officer pulled between duty and personal life, which remains one of his best-loved performances of that decade. He then won another Filmfare Best Villain award for playing a morally complex politician in Apaharan (2005).
Then came a surprise. As the gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome (2007), he showed a comic side that introduced him to a far wider audience. He returned to the role in Welcome Back (2015). Raajneeti (2010) took him back to political drama.
Natsamrat and his Marathi roots
Even as a Hindi film star, Nana Patekar never drifted from Marathi cinema. His most celebrated later work came in Natsamrat (2016), where he played a retired stage actor facing old age, family strain and loss. It earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Marathi).
Tamil cinema
He also worked in Tamil films, appearing in Bharathiraja's Bommalattam and in Rajinikanth's Kaala (2018), where he played the political rival Harinath Desai.
Director, social worker and soldier at heart
Patekar also directed. His debut, Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991), in which he also played the lead, drew on soldiers' lives and training, reflecting his lifelong fascination with the military. He later became associated with the Territorial Army and was given the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Away from cameras, he co-founded the Naam Foundation in 2015 with fellow Marathi actor Makarand Anaspure. The organisation works for farmers, especially in drought-affected parts of Maharashtra.
Working till the end
Even in his seventies, Patekar kept working. His recent films include Vanvaas (2024), Housefull 5 (2025), and O' Romeo and Subedaar (2026).
- PTC NEWS
