Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar, known for his intense, fiery performances on stage and in film, has died at the age of 75 in Goa.
One of the most recognisable faces of Indian cinema, Patekar won three National Film Awards and became known for playing difficult and often volatile characters. He was also a prominent figure in Marathi language cinema and theatre.
He was admitted to a hospital after being found unconscious at his home in Goa in the early hours of Thursday.
“Despite 45 minutes of continuous CPR, he could not be revived,” Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital in Goa told ANI news agency. Tributes have poured in from actors and politicians across India.
Dr Salkar later told PTI news agency that the hospital team found Patekar at his home “unconscious and almost unresponsive”.
The team continued giving him CPR even while taking him to the hospital, located about 10 minutes away, but he was dead by the time they reached there, he added.
Dr Salkar said Patekar had suffered a cardiac arrest, but it was not clear what had triggered it.
Family, friends and fans paid their last respects to the actor at Goa Medical College, ahead of his funeral which was to take place later in the day with full state honours at his farm house in the western city of Pune in Maharashtra state.
In the evening, his remains were flown to Pune by air ambulance, where the state’s chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid his last respects, before Patekar’s body was taken to his farm in Donje village for last rites to be performed.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led tributes to the actor, praising Patekar’s versatility and outspoken personality.
Patekar portrayed characters that would “remain etched in the memory of generations”, Modi wrote on X, adding that his death had left “a vast void in the artistic world”.
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who appeared alongside Patekar in the comedy film Welcome, remembered him as a rare performer whose voice, intensity and honesty could command an audience’s attention.
Patekar made his debut with the film Gaman in 1978 and continued to play smaller roles in several films. But the intensity that he brought on the screen was hard to miss and soon he landed a role in Parinda in 1989, making him a household name across India. He won his first National Film Award and the Filmfare Award as well for his portrayal of the gangster Anna in the film.
He didn’t look back after this and portrayed many memorable roles in films in the 1990s. The range of characters he played showcased the depth of his acting talent and mastery of his craft.
Famous dialogues from his films, delivered in his inimitable rasping voice, were quoted in school corridors and tea stalls. Many professional comedians imitate his distinctive style even today.
“He had a distinctive style of working and how he approached characters. As a person, he was outspoken and difficult to get along with but directors would still want to work with him because he was simply a fantastic actor,” film trade analyst Komal Nahta told BBC.
His portrayal of Major Chauhan in Prahaar – a film he also directed – won him praise. His other characters, including the patriotic hero of Tirangaa and Pratap Narayan Tilak in Krantiveer, also won him accolades.
Just when critics thought that playing loud characters was his mainstay, he proved them wrong by delivering a mesmerising performance in Khamoshi as a person who could not hear or speak.
