Mumbai’s film fraternity gathered at Mini Theatre, Tilak Bhavan, P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Akademi in Prabhadevi on Wednesday for Sangeetle Nana, the prayer meet held in memory of Nana Patekar. The veteran actor died on the morning of October 8 in Goa after a cardiac arrest. He was 75, and his passing has drawn tributes from both the film industry and Maharashtra’s political leadership.
A state-backed remembrance
The prayer meet was organised in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, the Public Works Department and the Tourism and Cultural Development Corporation. Holding the gathering at the state’s cultural academy rather than a private hall was a signal: Patekar’s career belonged as much to Marathi public life as to Hindi cinema, and the state chose to record that debt in a formal, institutional way.
Who paid tribute
- Shivaji Satam, television’s ACP Pradhyuman from CID
- Varsha Usgaonkar, Marathi actress
- Mehul Kumar, filmmaker
After the prayer meet, the day moved into a screening of a film starring Patekar. That choice closed the memorial on the work itself rather than only on the loss.
The final journey
Doctor Salkar, who shared details of the actor’s final hours, said Patekar had texted a friend around 2:30 am to say he was not feeling well; he was found unconscious and taken to a hospital. His mortal remains were kept in Goa before being taken to Pune for the last rites. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other leaders visited the actor’s farmhouse in Pune to pay their respects.
A filmography that marks an era
For readers who follow Hindi cinema, the titles attached to Patekar are a compact history of a particular screen intensity: Parinda, Prahaar: The Final Act, Tirangaa, Krantiveer, Khamoshi: The Musical and Welcome. The list alone hints at the span: the serious register of Parinda and Prahaar, and the comedy of Welcome.
Why it matters for the record
The event is more than a news brief. A prayer meet that involves the state’s cultural agencies, followed by a screening, becomes part of how an actor is remembered in the archive. The useful question is not only what happened on Wednesday, but what the memorial tells us about the standing Patekar built across more than five decades of performance.
Source: Moneycontrol
Comments