Amitabh Bachchan’s emotional KBC farewell to Nana Patekar

Nana Patekar’s sudden death on Thursday has left Hindi cinema in mourning, and Amitabh Bachchan turned the opening of Kaun Banega Crorepati into a quiet, personal farewell. The announcement came during the episode’s opening address, where the host usually sets a warm, familiar tone. This time, the warmth gave way to grief as he told viewers what the industry had lost.

What Amitabh said on KBC

Bachchan did not read out a formal statement. He described Patekar as a friend, well-wisher, extraordinary actor and social worker, and said the shock was not limited to the film industry. Everyone who had known him personally, he added, had felt the loss.

“An extraordinary artist, friend, well-wisher and an exemplary social worker is no longer among us today.”

— Amitabh Bachchan, on Kaun Banega Crorepati

The qualities Bachchan chose to remember were specific:

• Fearlessness
• Simplicity
• Courage to call a spade a spade
• Personal service to farmers in drought-affected Maharashtra

The KBC 16 memory

Bachchan also returned to Nana Patekar’s appearance on KBC Season 16. There, the actor spoke about reaching out to farmers in Maharashtra’s drought-hit villages. He dedicated the prize money he won to a social cause, and Bachchan said that act showed what Patekar valued most.

Bachchan added that some people leave our lives, but their voice, their acts of kindness and the lessons they imparted remain with us forever. It was a tribute to an actor, but even more to the person behind the actor.

A farewell with state honours

Nana Patekar was cremated with full state honours on Thursday at his farmhouse in Donje village, Pune. The ceremonial honour reflects the breadth of his contribution, not only as a performer but as a public figure associated with direct social work.

Why this moment matters

The tribute landed differently because it came from a peer on one of Indian television’s biggest stages, not from a studio release. Bachchan tied Patekar’s art to his character: plain-spoken, fearless and attentive to people who had little. That is also why fans are remembering him less for the machinery of stardom and more for the sense of truth he brought to a scene.

For an audience that grew up watching him, Thursday felt like the end of a specific kind of screen presence: direct, intense and uninterested in gloss. Bachchan’s farewell gave that feeling a voice.

Source: The Times of India