Nana Patekar dies at 75; Anil Kapoor shares an emotional farewell

Nana Patekar, the actor whose face and voice became shorthand for intensity in Hindi and Marathi cinema, died on Thursday, October 8. He was 75.

Anil Kapoor’s farewell to ‘Nanya’

Anil Kapoor shared a candid photograph of the two friends holding hands, and the note that accompanied it was as direct as Nana Patekar’s own performances. ‘Mera dost mujhe chhodkar chala gaya… pehle Satish aur ab mera Nanya,’ the actor wrote. In English, the thought is simple: his friend has gone, first Satish and now Nanya.

Anil Kapoor went on to describe the late actor as ‘Duniya ka sabse bada kalakaar’ — the greatest artist in the world — and said he would miss him in life, on set, on the phone and on the big screen.

What we know about his passing

Patekar died at his home in Goa. According to reports, he complained of severe chest pain and was found unresponsive before being rushed to Manipal Hospital. Doctors tried to revive him, but he was declared dead around 5:20 am.

The day unfolded quickly:

• The actor passed away at his Goa residence after a cardiac arrest.
• He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where he was declared dead around 5:20 am.
• His remains were flown from Goa to Pune.
• He was cremated at his farmhouse in Donje, Pune, with full state honours and a ceremonial gun salute.

Why this loss hits hard

For Hindi film fans, the loss is personal because Nana Patekar’s work never felt distant. His presence could be abrasive, tender, comic or menacing — sometimes within the same scene. The source of his power was not polish; it was a kind of raw conviction that made even his silences feel loaded.

Anil Kapoor’s tribute also carries a quieter sadness. By invoking Satish, he points to the thinning circle of actors and friends who defined a particular era of Bombay cinema. The public sees the films; the industry loses the person.

A final journey with ceremony

His last rites reflected the regard in which he was held. After being flown to Pune, Patekar was cremated at his Donje farmhouse. The ceremony included full state honours and a gun salute, with colleagues from the Hindi and Marathi film industries in attendance.

What remains is the work, and the very particular place Nana Patekar held in the audience’s imagination. Anil Kapoor’s message captures it without embellishment: another great has left, and things will not be the same on set, on the phone, or on the big screen.

Source: The Times of India