Nocturnal 
Bollywood veteran Nana Patekar has died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Goa.
The actor’s son, Malhar Patekar, confirmed the news to BBC Marathi and The Indian Express, saying his father had died of natural causes. Malhar said he was in Pune and preparing to travel to Goa, with a fuller statement to follow later.
Patekar was found unconscious at his apartment in Dona Paula, near Panaji, in the early hours of Thursday morning. According to reports, he had messaged a friend around 3.30am to say he wasn’t feeling well. The friend reportedly saw the message around 4am and rushed to the actor’s home.
He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where medics began treatment in the ambulance. Dr Shekhar Salkar, of the hospital’s oncology department, told ANI that staff performed CPR on Patekar for “almost 45 minutes to an hour, but he just could not be saved”. Reports vary slightly on the exact time of death, putting it between 5.10am and 5.30am local time.
Salkar said the actor’s family were not present at the time, but friends and a caretaker were with him. His body has been taken to Goa Medical College for a post-mortem examination, with reports suggesting a suspected heart attack, though some outlets describe it as cardiac arrest pending the full findings. NDTV reported that Patekar had attended an event in Dona Paula just four days before his death.
A career spanning five decades
Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira on 1 January 1951, he studied at Mumbai’s Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art before training on stage under director Vijaya Mehta. He made his film debut in 1978’s Gaman and spent years taking smaller roles, including a part in Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay!, before his breakthrough as gangster Anna in 1989’s Parinda.
That performance won him his first National Film Award, for Best Supporting Actor, and a Filmfare Award. He went on to direct and star in Prahaar in 1991, before winning the National Film Award for Best Actor for his lead role in 1994’s Krantiveer. Across a career that moved fluidly between Hindi and Marathi cinema, he also appeared in Angaar, Tirangaa, Khamoshi: The Musical, Agni Sakshi, Ab Tak Chhappan and Apaharan, later introducing himself to a younger audience as the comic gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome, and most recently in Housefull 5.
In total he won three National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards, as well as the Padma Shri in 2013. He remained active in Marathi theatre throughout his career, with Purush and Hamidabai Chi Kothi among his best-known plays, and was known for his charitable work supporting farmers and rural communities in Maharashtra.
Why it matters
Patekar’s career was not without controversy. In 2018, actor Tanushree Dutta accused him of sexually harassing her on the set of 2008’s Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss, allegations he repeatedly denied. Mumbai police later closed the investigation without charges against him.
Tributes have poured in from across Indian cinema and politics. Akshay Kumar, who worked with Patekar on Welcome and Housefull 5, wrote on X that he was “one of those rare actors who never needed to do too much to make you sit up and watch”. Actor Riteish Deshmukh said “it’s as if lightning has struck my heart”, while Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called his death “a significant loss to the industry”, pointing to films such as Krantiveer and Natsamrat as evidence of his range.
A post-mortem is expected to confirm the precise cause of death.
