Nana Patekar, Star of Parinda and Krantiveer, Dies at 75 in Goa

Nana Patekar, the veteran Hindi and Marathi actor known for intense performances in films such as “Parinda” and “Krantiveer,” died on Thursday, Oct. 8, at his home in Goa. He was 75, BBC News and Variety reported.

Patekar was found unconscious at his home in the early hours of Thursday, the BBC reported. “Despite 45 minutes of continuous CPR, he could not be revived,” Dr. Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital in Goa told the ANI news agency, and Variety, citing ANI, said he was declared dead at 5:20 a.m. local time. Salkar said Patekar had suffered a cardiac arrest but that it was not clear what had triggered it, according to the BBC. A medico-legal case has been registered and a post-mortem will follow, according to Variety and The Indian Express.

The Maharashtra government said Patekar will receive a funeral with full state honors. Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar announced the decision on X, citing Patekar’s contribution to Marathi theater and to Marathi and Hindi cinema, The Indian Express reported, adding that, according to PTI, the last rites were expected at his farmhouse in Pune’s Donje area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote that Patekar’s characters would “remain etched in the memory of generations,” the BBC reported.

Born Vishwanath Patekar, he began on stage before making his film debut in “Gaman” in 1978, according to Variety, which noted early roles including Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay!” His breakthrough came as a crime lord in “Parinda” (1989), which earned him a National Film Award for best supporting actor and a Filmfare award. He went on to direct and star in “Prahaar: The Final Attack” (1991).

“Krantiveer” (1994) brought him the National Film Award for best actor, and “Agni Sakshi” (1996) a second supporting-actor National Award, Variety reported. The BBC singled out his performance in “Khamoshi: The Musical” as a man who could not hear or speak. Variety also noted that he and Irrfan Khan are the only actors to win Filmfare trophies as lead, supporting player and villain.

Later roles included a police encounter specialist in “Ab Tak Chhappan” (2004), a politician in “Raajneeti” (2010) and the mob boss Uday Shetty in the comedy “Welcome” (2007), a role he revisited in “Welcome Back.” He won Filmfare Marathi best actor awards for “Dr. Prakash Baba Amte – The Real Hero” and “Natsamrat,” according to Variety. Recent credits included “The Vaccine War,” “Vanvaas,” “Housefull 5” and “O’Romeo,” The Indian Express reported. Akshay Kumar, his co-star in “Welcome,” remembered him as a rare performer, the BBC said.

Off screen, Patekar received the Padma Shri in 2013, Variety and The Indian Express reported, and in 2015 he co-founded the Naam Foundation with actor Makarand Anaspure, which the BBC said has worked on farmer welfare and water conservation in Maharashtra. His career also drew controversy: harassment allegations by actor Tanushree Dutta, first made in 2008 and repeated in 2018, helped spark the #MeToo movement in the Hindi film industry, Variety reported. Patekar consistently denied them, and Mumbai police filed a closure report in June 2019. Read more tributes and film news on our Bollywood page.

Verification: Patekar’s death, age, the hospital account and career details come from BBC News (Vikas Pandey, Oct. 8) and Variety (Naman Ramachandran, Oct. 7 PT). The state funeral announcement, post-mortem details and recent credits are from The Indian Express (Oct. 8). Medical details are attributed to Dr. Salkar as quoted by ANI and PTI.