Nana Patekar: Veteran Bollywood Actor Dies at Age 75

• Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar died at his home in Goa after being found unconscious in the early hours of Thursday
• Patekar built a celebrated career spanning nearly five decades, winning three National Film Awards across Hindi and Marathi cinema
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar were among those who led tributes to the iconic actor

Nana Patekar, one of Indian cinema's most distinctive and celebrated actors, died at the age of 75 in Goa on Thursday after being found unconscious at his home in the early hours of the morning.

His son Malhar confirmed the news to BBC Marathi.

Medical staff at Manipal Hospital in Goa made every effort to save him. "Despite 45 minutes of continuous CPR, he could not be revived," Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital told ANI news agency.

Patekar made his screen debut in the 1978 film Gaman but it was his portrayal of the volatile gangster Anna in the 1989 film Parinda that transformed him into a household name. The role earned him both his first National Film Award and a Filmfare Award.

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What followed was a career of remarkable range. Through the 1990s, he moved fluidly between villains, soldiers, patriots and comic figures, working across Hindi and Marathi cinema while also stepping behind the camera as a director and writer. His performance as Pratap Narayan Tilak in Krantiveer brought him the National Award for Best Actor.

He earned a third national award for Agni Sakshi. He surprised audiences and critics alike with a deeply restrained turn in Khamoshi, playing a deaf and mute character, and later delivered a nuanced portrayal of a calculating politician in Prakash Jha's Rajneeti in 2010.

Before cinema, Patekar spent years in theatre, where he developed the fierce intensity and precise dialogue delivery that would define his screen presence. He remained active on stage throughout his career, with productions including Purush and Hamidabai Chi Kothi among his most acclaimed theatrical work.

Activism, Legacy and Controversy

Patekar's public life extended well beyond acting. He was openly critical of government policies, particularly those affecting farmers, and in 2015 he co-founded the Naam Foundation alongside actor Makarand Anaspure to support farmer welfare and water conservation in Maharashtra.

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His career was not without controversy. In 2018, actor Tanushree Dutta accused him of sexual harassment over an alleged incident on a film set a decade earlier, with the case becoming one of the catalysts for India's #MeToo movement. Patekar denied the allegations. In 2019, police said they had not found sufficient evidence against him, and he was cleared of the charges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led tributes on Thursday, writing on X that Patekar portrayed characters that would "remain etched in the memory of generations" and that his passing had left "a vast void in the artistic world." Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, his co-star in the comedy Welcome, remembered Patekar as a rare performer whose voice, intensity and honesty could hold any audience.

Source: YEN.com.gh