Nana Patekar Dies at 75; Maharashtra Announces State Funeral

Veteran actor Nana Patekar died at his residence in Goa on Thursday after a cardiac arrest. He was 75.

Maharashtra has since announced a state funeral, and his mortal remains have been brought to Donje village in Pune, where the last rites are being held.

The final hours in Goa

According to The Times of India, Patekar was given continuous CPR for roughly 45 minutes after the cardiac arrest. He was declared dead at 5:20 am. His son Malhar confirmed the news and said, “He died due to natural reasons.”

The family’s confirmation has been followed by an official honour. Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said the state funeral recognises Patekar’s immense contribution to theatre and cinema.

From Pune Airport to Donje

After the remains arrived from Goa, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid his last respects at Pune Airport. The remains were then taken to Donje, where members of the film industry and political fraternity began gathering.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was among the first prominent personalities to reach the venue. Filmmaker Anees Bazmee, actor-director Pravin Tarde and actor Prasad Oak were also seen at the funeral. Bazmee’s presence is a reminder of one of Patekar’s most visible big-screen chapters: he directed the actor in the comedy Welcome.

The last films still to come

Patekar’s final releases will be Shakti Shalini, starring Aneet Padda, and Eetha, starring Shraddha Kapoor. Both titles now arrive with the added weight of being posthumous releases, and they are likely to be watched with new emotion.

Why this send-off matters

A state funeral is an official farewell arranged by a government to honour a public figure’s contribution. For Hindi film fans, the announcement turns private grief into a shared, state-recognised moment. It also places Patekar’s theatre and cinema work at the centre of Maharashtra’s cultural memory at a time when the industry and the public are saying goodbye together.

That matters because it gives the mourning an official shape: the airport respects, the state announcement, and the gathering in Donje. In an industry that often talks in box-office numbers, the state funeral shifts attention to the lifetime of work behind the fame.

Here is the final-journey timeline in brief:

• Cardiac arrest at his Goa residence; CPR for around 45 minutes.
• Declared dead at 5:20 am on Thursday.
• State funeral announced by Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar.
• Mortal remains brought to Donje village, Pune, for the last rites.
• Last films: Shakti Shalini and Eetha.

The arrival of colleagues from cinema and politics shows the send-off is both a personal loss and an institutional one. Fans who want to pay tribute can use the coming days to revisit the work that made the state honour feel earned.

Source: The Times of India