Nana Patekar dies at 75; Goa Police registers unnatural-death case

Veteran actor Nana Patekar, a Padma Shri recipient, died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of Thursday at his Dona Paula, Goa residence. He was 75. His son Malhar confirmed the news; the last rites were to be held at the actor’s Pune farmhouse.

Panaji Police registered an unnatural-death case — a standard procedural step — while tributes poured in from across the film industry. Salman Khan postponed a scheduled public appearance, and Hema Malini said she regretted missing Patekar’s last phone call a week earlier.

Maharashtra announced a funeral with full state honours for the actor, remembered for powerhouse performances across five decades of Hindi and Marathi cinema, from “Parinda” and “Krantiveer” to “Welcome”.

Patekar’s final screen appearance is expected to be in Maddock Films’ “Shakti Shalini”.