Nana Patekar dies at 75; son Malhar vows to continue his work

Malhar Patekar is not treating his father’s funeral as a full stop. After Nana Patekar was cremated at Donje village near Pune, the actor’s son stood before the media and promised that the charitable work would go on.

Two foundations, one family responsibility

The commitment centres on the Naam Foundation and the Nirmala Gajanan Foundation, both of which Nana Patekar had reportedly handed to the next generation before his death. Malhar told Rajshri Marathi that those organisations’ goals would now become the family’s life’s work.

“The work that lies ahead, whether through the Naam Foundation or the Nirmala Gajanan Foundation, must continue,” he said. “We will spend our lives fulfilling those goals.”

Why Malhar says his father is immortal

The veteran actor died in Goa at 75 after a cardiac arrest. Doctors tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other measures for roughly 45 minutes, but he could not be revived.

Malhar’s tribute was built on three ideas:

• His father’s achievements outside films make him immortal.
• Nana believed in uniting people “in the name of humanity” to improve the world.
• The next generation must carry the foundations forward, and the public should join them.

“If I accept that Nanasaheb is gone, I will be finished myself,” Malhar said. “So, for me, Nanasaheb remains Nanasaheb.”

The fraternity pays its respects

The last rites brought together Jackie Shroff, directors Anil Sharma and Anees Bazmee, and producer Firoz Nadiadwala. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute before leaving Pune, while Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the family farmhouse to offer condolences.

Anil Kapoor, Nana’s Welcome co-star, remembered him as “the world’s greatest actor”. Riteish Deshmukh described him as “an actor par excellence” and a hero off screen. Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Rajinikanth, Jr NTR and Prakash Raj also mourned the loss, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari acknowledged his cinema and social work for farmers and rural communities.

What happens next

Malhar said the organisations work across three verticals and repeated a request for people to join the effort. The immediate test is whether the foundations can maintain the same momentum without their founder. For fans, though, the message was simpler: the screen legend’s social mission has an heir.

Source: The Times of India