Veteran actor Nana Patekar, known for his powerful screen presence and unforgettable way of delivering dialogue, has died at 75. Doctors tried to revive him with continuous CPR for around 45 minutes. He was declared dead at about 5:20 am on Thursday, and the cause was reported as cardiac arrest.
He was found unconscious at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, and rushed to Manipal Hospital. They couldn’t.
Released in 1989, Parinda was one of Nana Patekar’s breakthrough performances. Released in 1994, it cast him as Pratap Narayan Tilak, a rebellious man who stands up against corruption, injustice and communal hatred. His intense portrayal won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. The performance won him the National Film Award for Best Actor.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed the crime drama, and Nana played Anna, a ruthless underworld figure and drug dealer. Few films are as closely tied to Nana Patekar’s powerful dialogue delivery as Krantiveer.
In the 2007 comedy, he played Uday Shankar Shetty, a gangster desperate to find a respectable match for his sister. The 1996 film also starred Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff. The 1988 film explored the lives of children living and working on Mumbai’s streets.
His death ends an acting journey that ran for nearly five decades. Intense villains, angry revolutionaries, police officers, soldiers, politicians, comic characters: he played them all with a rare honesty and intensity. His voice, his expressions and his way with a line could make even the simplest dialogue stick. Nana Patekar’s role: Anna Famous dialogue: “Dhande mein koi kisi ka bhai nahi, koi kisi ka beta nahi. The line sums up Anna’s cold approach to crime and power perfectly. Patekar’s performance turned Anna into one of the most memorable villains in Hindi cinema. Nana Patekar’s role: Pratap Narayan Tilak Famous dialogue: “Yeh Musalman ka khoon, yeh Hindu ka khoon… bata is mein Musalman ka kaunsa, Hindu ka kaunsa? It remains one of the film’s most powerful scenes, with Pratap questioning the very idea of dividing people by religion. Another unforgettable line: “Aa gaye meri maut ka tamasha dekhne. That dialogue became closely linked with Patekar’s intense performance. In the Marathi film Natsamrat, Nana played Ganpat Ramchandra Belwalkar, popularly known as Appa. He’s a celebrated theatre actor who faces loneliness and emotional struggle after retirement. Nana Patekar’s role: Ganpat Ramchandra Belwalkar / Natsamrat / Appa Famous dialogue: “Kuni ghar deta ka ghar? Eka tufanala kuni ghar deta ka? The line voices Appa’s loneliness and pain after he loses the place and recognition he once had. Critics widely praised the emotional depth of Patekar’s performance. The film showed another side of him. His strength, it proved, wasn’t limited to anger or intensity. He could play vulnerability, helplessness and heartbreak with equal power. With Welcome, Nana showed he could make audiences laugh as easily as he could leave them stunned. Nana Patekar’s role: Uday Shankar Shetty Famous dialogue: “Control Uday! It became one of the character’s best-loved catchphrases. His chemistry with Anil Kapoor’s Majnu Bhai made the two characters one of Bollywood’s most loved comedy pairs. Another popular Uday Shetty line: “Bhagwan ka diya sab kuch hai. Daulat hai, shohrat hai, izzat hai… His exaggerated seriousness while delivering comic lines was one of Welcome’s highlights. In Ab Tak Chhappan, Nana played Inspector Sadhu Agashe, a tough, experienced Mumbai police officer tied to the city’s encounter squad. Nana Patekar’s role: Inspector Sadhu Agashe Famous dialogue: “Hum sab system ka hissa hain. The film dug into the tangled relationship between crime, policing and the system, and it was inspired by the life of Mumbai Police officer Daya Nayak. Patekar’s restrained performance made Sadhu Agashe a character people remember. This wasn’t one of his louder turns. Here, he leaned on controlled expressions and quiet intensity. Prahaar: The Final Attack was special for a particular reason. Nana didn’t just act in it. He was also involved in the writing and direction. He played Major Chauhan, a strict army officer who believes discipline and patriotism are essential. Nana Patekar’s role: Major Chauhan Famous dialogue: “I think army training should be compulsory for everybody. At least one year of your life should be given to the nation. The character is uncompromising and demanding. His strictness, though, comes from a belief in discipline and responsibility toward the country. The film also reflected Patekar’s interest in stories about soldiers, discipline and social responsibility. In Agni Sakshi, Nana played Vishwanath, a disturbing, obsessive man whose presence drives much of the film’s tension. Nana Patekar’s role: Vishwanath Memorable line: “Tum mujhe chhod kar nahi ja sakti. Vishwanath was a long way from the heroic characters Nana played in films like Krantiveer. By portraying obsession and menace, he showed he could make audiences uncomfortable without leaning only on conventional villainy. In Prakash Jha’s Apaharan, Nana appeared as Tabrez Alam, a powerful figure caught up in Bihar’s kidnapping industry and political underworld. Ajay Devgn and Bipasha Basu starred alongside him. Nana Patekar’s role: Tabrez Alam Memorable dialogue: “Rajneeti mein koi kisi ka saga nahi hota. The character stands for the complicated relationship between crime and politics that runs through the film. Patekar gave Tabrez Alam a personality that was intimidating and calculating at once. In Prakash Jha’s political drama Raajneeti, Nana played Brij Gopal, a mentor and strategist who helps guide Prithviraj Pratap and the Jana Shakti party. The character was partly inspired by Lord Krishna from the Mahabharata. Nana Patekar’s role: Brij Gopal Memorable dialogue: “Rajneeti mein sabse bada sach yahi hai ki koi sach nahi hota. Brij Gopal is calm, intelligent and politically seasoned. Unlike Pratap in Krantiveer, he doesn’t fight through anger. He understands power, strategy and human behaviour, and that makes him an important part of the film. Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! was one of Nana’s significant early performances. Patekar played Baba Golub, a character involved in the city’s underworld. Nana Patekar’s role: Baba Golub Memorable line: “Yeh shehar kisi ka nahi hai. The film stood far apart from mainstream Bollywood and dealt with the hard realities street children face. Patekar’s performance added to its raw, realistic atmosphere. His greatest strength was disappearing into a character. Dangerous gangster, revolutionary, army officer, police inspector, political strategist, comic gangster: whatever he played, he never seemed to repeat himself.
A look back at Nana Patekar’s remarkable career
His debut came with Gaman in 1978. He won three National Film Awards and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013. Here are 10 films that show some of his most memorable work:- His voice was among his biggest trademarks. And in 2013, he was honoured with the Padma Shri. Earlier reporting noted: Also read: CM Adityanath hails Nana Patekar, reveals actor worked to prevent farmer suicides without publicity Earlier reporting noted: Born Vishwanath Patekar on January 1, 1951 in Maharashtra, Nana began his film career with the 1978 drnama Gaman.
Earlier reporting noted: Nana Patekar dies at 75 due to cardiac arrest; was found unconscious at Goa residence Veteran actor Nana Patekar , one of the most respected performers in Hindi and Marathi cinema, has died at the age of 75. And then came Welcome, where his comic timing won over an entirely different generation of viewers. Born Vishwanath Patekar, Nana started in theatre before he moved into films. From there, he built a reputation as one of Indian cinema’s most versatile performers. His work spanned Hindi and Marathi cinema, theatre and direction. He never got stuck playing one kind of character. He could be a frightening antagonist in Parinda. He could be an angry, socially conscious protagonist in Krantiveer, a strict army officer in Prahaar, or a complicated police officer in Ab Tak Chhappan. He could deliver a line with anger, silence, sarcasm or humour, and the same words would feel completely different depending on who was speaking them. His career also moved between mainstream cinema and more serious, socially driven films. Look at his filmography, from Salaam Bombay! and Parinda to Krantiveer, Ab Tak Chhappan, Natsamrat and Welcome, and you see an actor who refused to be boxed into one genre. His contributions to cinema, theatre and social causes became an important part of his legacy. His death leaves a deep void in Indian cinema. For generations of viewers, he was more than an actor known for powerful dialogues. He brought anger, humour, pain, vulnerability and realism to the screen with remarkable ease. His characters were different from one another. The intensity behind them was unmistakably his. From the streets of Salaam Bombay! to the political world of Raajneeti and the comic chaos of Welcome, Nana Patekar created performances audiences will keep remembering. His films and dialogues will stand as a lasting reminder of an actor who could command an entire scene with nothing more than his voice and his expression. The actor, whose career spanned more than four decades, was found unconscious at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa, following a cardiac arrest. He went on to establish himself as an actor capable of bringing unusual intensity to his performances.
