lMUMBAI — Indian cinema lost one of its most electrifying screen forces this morning. Veteran actor Nana Patekar passed away in Goa at the age of 75 following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was declared dead at 5:20 a.m. after resuscitation efforts failed, with his son, Malhar Patekar, confirming the tragic news.
Born Vishwanath Patekar in 1951, the mercurial actor worked in Marathi theatre and gritty art house cinema for years. His career ran in stark parallel to the mainstream Hindi movie ecosystem: while iconic contemporaries reigned over commercial cinema, Patekar carved a formidable niche in non-conventional, character-driven roles.
His brreakthrough and success came in his late 30s with Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda (1989). His fierce, volcanic screen energy earned him top honors:
National Film Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Parinda (1989), Best Actor for Krantiveer (1994), and Best Supporting Actor for Agnisakshi (1996).
Filmfare Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Parinda (1990), Best Villain for Angaar (1993), Best Actor for Krantiveer (1995), and Best Villain for Apaharan (2006).
Padma Shri: Conferred in 2013 for his distinguished contributions to Indian Art and Cinema — extraordinarily, in the exact same year Sridevi received her own Padma Shri honor from the Government of India.
Patekar was married to Neelakanthi Patekar; the couple had a son, Malhar. While Malhar chose a career in film production rather than acting, Patekar’s personal life remained private.
Despite a 12-year age gap — Patekar born in 1951 and Sridevi in 1963 — film history links them through three tantalizing missed opportunities. The most infamous was Yugpurush (1998), a project originally conceived to pair the two powerhouses before Sridevi eventually exited.
Later, Patekar delivered a celebrated performance in Shakti: The Power (2002), produced by Sridevi and Boney Kapoor; Sridevi was originally meant to star alongside him on screen, but her pregnancy with daughter Khushi Kapoor necessitated passing the role to Karisma Kapoor.
Unverified online rumors also suggested Sridevi was offered Krantiveer (1994) before Dimple Kapadia took the role... but this might be nothing but that; rumour.
Patekar held immense respect for Sridevi, repeatedly praising her unmatched screen presence and expressive genius in retrospective interviews. Sridevi, too, expressed deep admiration for his fierce talent, once remarking in features across Filmfare and Stardust that not sharing the screen with an actor of Nana Patekar’s caliber remained one of the true missed opportunities and losses of her artistic career.
With his passing earlier today, Indian cinema bids farewell to a fiery titan whose artistry remains unmatched. Even his recent tell-all interviews wildly circulated on social media, especially on YouTube, reminds us of the fire within him, that often burst out.
That's the thing with truth-tellers, we may admire them from afar, but not like the bitter pills they ask us to swallow.
RIP legend.
