Nana Patekar, the actor who gave Hindi and Marathi cinema some of its most jagged, watchful performances, died on October 8 at 75. He was at his Goa home when he felt unwell in the early hours. According to the doctor who spoke to ANI, he was brought dead to hospital around 4:30 am and declared dead by 5:30 am after cardiac massage was attempted for 45 minutes to an hour.
The death is a news event, but for this audience it is also a reason to return to the beginning of the story: Patekar did not want to enter films at all.
A friendship that changed the path
In an earlier interview with Times of India, quoted by News18, Patekar said plainly: “I used to do plays and I was very happy there, but Smita Patil forced me to get into films. Smita recommended my name to Ravi Chopra for the film ‘Aaj Ki Aawaz’.” He added, “She was a very good friend of mine. Now, she is not with us anymore, and I really miss her.”
The late Smita Patil’s intervention is a small piece of film history. Recommendations like that were often how the theatre generation entered Hindi cinema, and they decided which performers got a film break. Patekar’s own path shows how a single introduction can become a national career. For Bollywood Chronicle readers, that informal referral is as much a part of the record as any box-office figure.
The record he left
Born Vishwanath Patekar, he began with Gaman in 1978. His breakthrough came with Ankush and Pratighaat, followed by Salaam Bombay! and Parinda. The list of notable performances is long:
- Prahaar: The Final Attack
- Tirangaa, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi
- Khamoshi: The Musical, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan and Raajneeti
The formal recognition matched the work: three National Film Awards and a Padma Shri in 2013. What bound these roles was a coiled, unadorned presence that made him one of Hindi and Marathi cinema’s most distinctive performers.
The last hours and what to do
The medical timeline, as relayed by the doctor to ANI, is specific: Patekar sent a message to a friend at around 2:30 am saying he was unwell. The friend missed it in the night, then called and went to the house around 4 am. Patekar was sweating and becoming unconscious; the caretaker was sent to hospital and returned with an ambulance. The hospital received him around 4:30 am and he was declared dead at 5:30 am.
For readers who want not just news but memory, the response is to return to the work: watch Parinda, Prahaar or Ab Tak Chhappan, and notice what Smita Patil saw early. The introduction that began with a friend’s push is now part of the archive.
Source: News18
Comments