Nana Patekar, National Award-winning actor, dies at 75

Nana Patekar, the National Award-winning actor whose screen presence could shift from terrifying intensity to deadpan comedy, passed away on October 8, 2026. He was 75, ANI reported.

A career built on intensity

Born Vishwanath Patekar on January 1, 1951, in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, he made his Hindi film debut with Gaman in 1978. Early roles in Aaj Ki Awaz, Ankush, Pratighaat, Andha Yudh, Mohre, Trishagni and Sagar Sangam brought wider recognition. Andha Yudh earned his first Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also played Nathuram Godse in the British television series Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy, and appeared in the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay! in 1988.

The 1990s turned him into a force. Krantiveer brought the National Film Award for Best Actor, while Agni Sakshi won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. His Filmfare Award for Best Villain came for Angaar. Through the 2000s and beyond, he moved between films such as Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan, Taxi No. 9211 and Raajneeti, then found a new audience as gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome and Welcome Back. In 2016, Natsamrat, in which he played a retired stage actor, reminded viewers of his range in Marathi cinema.

The simple life he chose

Despite a career full of larger-than-life roles, Patekar often spoke about keeping life small. News 18 reported that he spent much of his adult life in a roughly 750-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Andheri, Mumbai, bought for about Rs 1.1 lakh decades ago; its estimated value later rose to around Rs 3 crore. He also owned properties in Goa and Pune, and his largest holding was a 27-acre farmhouse at Khadakwasla near Pune.

On Kaun Banega Crorepati, he told Amitabh Bachchan that he never felt part of the industry. “When your needs are limited, life becomes very easy,” he said, adding that he would rather stay in the villages, surrounded by hills.

• Three National Film Awards and two Maharashtra State Film Awards
• Padma Shri in 2013 for contribution to cinema and the arts
• Honorary Captain’s rank in the Territorial Army after training with the Maratha Light Infantry
• Final public appearance in Goa on October 4, days before his death

Army ties and a final reflection

Patekar’s link with the Indian Army went beyond cinema. He trained with the Maratha Light Infantry for three years while preparing for Prahaar: The Final Attack and was later given an honorary Captain’s rank. During the Kargil War in 1999, he received special permission from then Defence Minister George Fernandes to spend more than two weeks near the Line of Control with a Quick Reaction Team, an experience he said made him lose around 20 kg.

His last public appearance came on October 4 at the Samraat Club International installation ceremony in Dona Paula, Goa. There, he spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his friendship with former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, and reflected on mortality and the importance of contributing to society.

A life marked by loss and resilience

Patekar’s early years were difficult. Reports said the family business was taken over by an acquaintance when he was 13, and he later painted movie posters in Chunabhatti, earning Rs 35 a month. His father died when Patekar was 28, and he also lost his elder son, Durvasa, at the age of two and a half. He is survived by his son Malhar.

For Hindi film fans, Patekar’s passing closes a rare chapter: an actor equally credible in parallel cinema, mainstream drama and broad comedy, with a life that stayed deliberately far from the party circuit.

Source: The Times of India