Actor Nana Patekar died of a cardiac arrest this morning (8th October) around 5.20 a.m. at his Goa residence. He was reportedly found unconscious at his home and was rushed to hospital. He was declared dead at 5.20 a.m. after doctors failed to revive him with 45 minutes of CPR. A medico-legal case has been registered and a post mortem will be conducted.
He was 75. He was born on 1st January, 1951. His real name was Vishwanath Patekar. Nana is survived by his wife and a son.
Nana was one of the most acclaimed actors of his time. He acted in a number of Hindi and Marathi films in a career spanning some decades. Among his well-known Hindi films are Parinda, Ab Tak Chhappan, Tirangaa, Krantiveer, Khamoshi – The Musical, Wajood, Yeshwant, Shakti: The Power, Apaharan, Raajneeti, Taxi No. 9211, Welcome, Welcome Back, Housefull 5 and Prahaar: The Final Attack. The last-named film was directed by Nana himself. His acting in Marathi film Natsamrat was also hailed as one of his better performances. Nana debuted in Muzaffar Ali’s Gaman (1978). His first Marathi film was Jabbar Patel’s Sinhasan (1979). Among his other noteworthy films are Ankush, Ghulam-E-Mustafa, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Hum Dono, and Salaam Bombay.
Nana was known for his intense acting and typical dialogue delivery. In his five-decade acting career, he also did theatre. He was a very outspoken person.
Nana had been decorated with the Padma Shri. He had won the National Award thrice — for Parinda, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi. He served in the Territorial Army and had set up the NAAM Foundation to help farmers in Maharashtra. He served with the Maratha Light Infantry during the Kargil war.
