Veteran actor Nana Patekar dies at 75 after cardiac arrest in Goa

Veteran actor Nana Patekar died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa on October 8.

According to media reports, Nana was found unconscious at his home after suffering severe chest pain and was taken to Manipal Hospital. Doctors attempted to revive him for around 45 minutes, but he could not be revived and was declared dead at 5.20 am.

A medico-legal case has been registered and a post-mortem examination will be conducted. His son, Malhar Patekar, was in Pune when he received the news and left for Goa, according to reports.

Nana, whose real name was Vishwanath Patekar, was one of the most distinctive actors in Hindi and Marathi cinema. Known for his intense screen presence and powerful dialogue delivery, he often played complex characters that fell outside conventional hero and villain roles.

Born on January 1, 1951, in Maharashtra, Nana began his film career with the 1978 film Gaman. He went on to establish himself with performances in films including Ankush, Pratighaat, Salaam Bombay!, Parinda, Prahaar: The Final Attack, Angaar, Tirangaa, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi.

His later work included Khamoshi: The Musical, Yeshwant, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan and Raajneeti. He also became hugely popular with a wider audience as gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015).

He has also acted in Tamil movies like director Bharathiraja’s Bommalattam and director Pa Ranjith’s Kaala alongside Rajinikanth. 

Nana won three National Film Awards during his career. He received the Best Supporting Actor award for Parinda in 1990 and Agni Sakshi in 1997, while his performance in Krantiveer earned him the Best Actor award in 1995. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for his contribution to cinema and the arts.

He also worked as a director and singer. His directorial credits include Prahaar: The Final Attack, while he lent his voice to songs in films including Yeshwant, Wajood and Aanch.

In the 2000s, Nana continued to take on varied roles, earning praise for films such as Shakti: The Power, Ab Tak Chhappan, Apaharan and Taxi No. 9211. He later appeared in Natsamrat, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 2016.

Nana continued acting until the final year of his life. He was seen in Vanvaas in 2024 and Housefull 5 in 2025. In 2026, he appeared in O' Romeo, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, and Subedaar, which premiered on Prime Video.

He also made his OTT debut in 2026 with Prakash Jha's political drama series Sankalp, in which he played Ma'at Sahab, also known as Kanhaiya Lal.

Nana's last public appearance was four days before his death in Dona Paula, where he attended and addressed the Samraat Club International installation ceremony.

In 2008, actor Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss and filed a complaint with Cine & TV Artists Association (CINTAA), which took no action at the time. Tanushree renewed the allegations in 2018, sparking the #MeToo movement in Bollywood.