Nana Patekar passes away at 75; state funeral in Pune

Nana Patekar, the actor whose raw, unglamorous intensity made him one of Indian cinema’s most distinctive performers, died on Thursday, October 8, at his home in Goa. He was 75. The cause was a cardiac arrest; doctors attempted CPR for around 45 minutes before he was declared dead at about 5:20 am.

His son Malhar confirmed the death, saying it was due to natural reasons, as the family began the journey to bring Patekar home to Maharashtra.

Maharashtra says goodbye with full state honours

In recognition of his decades of work in theatre and cinema, the Maharashtra government gave Patekar a state funeral. His remains were flown to Pune. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid his respects at Pune Airport, and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was at the last rites at the actor’s farmhouse in Donje, conducted with full state honours. Actor Jackie Shroff and thousands of fans gathered to bid farewell.

A mentor who told the truth

Shah Rukh Khan, who worked with Patekar in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Shakti: The Power, remembered him as a mentor, teacher, critic and friend. In an emotional note, he recalled their first meeting: when a nervous Khan kept fiddling with his hair, Patekar slapped his hand away and said, “hero ki tarah Baal mat bana…tu actor hai.”

The line he quoted next gets to the heart of Patekar’s legacy.

“He didn’t flatter you. He told you what you needed to hear.”

Salman Khan posted a short, tender goodbye, writing “Rest in peace bhau,” while Ajay Devgn, his co-star in Apaharan and Raajneeti, said few performers could make audiences feel happiness, sadness and anger quite the way he did.

The fraternity pays tribute

• Shah Rukh Khan remembered a straight-talking mentor and called him an “unbeatable carrom champion.”
• Salman Khan shared a picture with a simple, emotional farewell.
• Ajay Devgn said his presence was “powerful” and his absence will be “deeply felt.”
• Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Manoj Bajpayee, Urmila Matondkar, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karan Johar were among those mourning on social media.

Why this loss lands heavily

Patekar’s passing closes a long chapter for Hindi and Marathi film fans. He was not a conventional hero, and that was the point. The state funeral shows how deeply Maharashtra honoured him beyond cinema. For the audience, the tribute is simple: revisit the work, and remember the performances that refused to fake it.

Source: The Times of India