New Delhi: Gravelly voiced veteran actor Nana Patekar has passed away in Goa on Thursday. He was 75.
Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital had certified his death as 5.20 am after a major cardiac arrest at his residence. CPR had to be done almost continually for 45 minutes, but failed to revive him. His colleagues and fans were reportedly surprised by the news since he had made a public appearance in Goa just a few days ago.
Vishwanath Patekar was born in Murud-Janjira, Raigad district in Maharashtra on 1 January 1951 and studied at the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Arts. His first stage work was on the Marathi stage and his first appearance in film was in Gaman (1978). It was in the late ’80s and ’90s that he achieved mainstream success in Hindi cinema and he worked over the span of almost 50 years.
His characters were known for their menace, wit and morality. He has also made films such as Raajneeti (2010), Krantiveer (1994) and Parinda (1989). He also appeared as an army officer in the film Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991), and directed the film. He had found a new audience through comedy in Welcome (2007) and Welcome 2 (2015) with Uday Shetty as the good-hearted gangster.
Patekar garnered the big awards. He went on to receive three National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards and in 2013 was conferred the Padma Shri for the cinema and arts. He was also credited with winning the Filmfare Awards for the best actor and best supporting actor and best villain.
However, Patekar was very popular outside cinema for his unpretentious life and benevolence. He was an advocate for relief work to drought hit families in Maharashtra and was part of the Naam Foundation. He was also a member of Territorial Army and voluntarily participated in Kargil War in 1999 which he talked about with great pride. He was an honorary Lieutenant Colonel.
In his private life he had to endure losses. He has gone public with the loss of his older son Durvasa and the pressure of public opinion. He is survived by his wife, Neelkanti and his son Malhar.
He had a controversial career, too. Actor Tanushree Dutta brought up a claim of harassment against him in 2018 that has been ongoing since 2008, which he vehemently denied.
Expect the day to be full of tributes from friends, colleagues, directors and dignitaries. A funeral is yet to be arranged.
Patekar’s presence was felt till a recent time. He also has 2026 other credits, including O’ Romeo and a cameo in Subedaar.
To many watchers, his reputation lies in what he could achieve with few words: sharp eye contact, a few words spoken in a short pause, a lengthy pause. Few actors in Indian Cinema can come up with so much with so little number of words.
