Patekar won three National Film Awards and received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
Published On 8 Oct 20268 Oct 2026
Nana Patekar, an acclaimed Indian actor and filmmaker known for his fiery performances in Bollywood films and theatre, has died aged 75.
Patekar died of a suspected cardiac arrest at his home in Goa, the Press Trust of India news agency reported on Thursday, quoting a doctor at the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
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His son, Malhar Patekar, confirmed his death, saying the actor died of natural causes. A medico-legal case was registered, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted, officials said.
Patekar’s career spanned nearly five decades across Hindi and Marathi cinema, theater and filmmaking.
Born in 1951 in India’s western state of Maharashtra, Patekar built a career spanning nearly five decades in Hindi- and Marathi-language cinema. He was known for intense performances and roles that often portrayed complex or unconventional characters.
Patekar made his film debut in the 1978 Hindi film Gaman, and later earned acclaim for Parinda and Krantiveer. He gained wider international recognition with filmmaker Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay!
He won three National Film Awards, India’s highest film honours, and received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
‘One of those rare actors’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned Patekar’s death, praising his “intensity, individuality and unmistakable presence” as an actor.
“He brought remarkable versatility and creativity to every role and gave us characters that will be remembered for generations,” Modi wrote on X.
He played a variety of roles, sharing screen space with actors such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and excelling in both serious and comic roles.
“He was one of those rare actors who never needed to do too much to make you sit up and watch. That voice, that intensity, that honesty in every performance… he was completely his own,” said actor Akshay Kumar, who starred with Patekar in several movies.
In 2018, as the #MeToo movement swept the world, Patekar was accused by an Indian actress of sexual harassment during the making of a film in 2008. He denied the allegation and a court in Mumbai dismissed the case last year.
Patekar’s death came days after he appeared at a theater event in Goa, where he spoke about the importance of keeping the performing arts alive.
Patekar is survived by his wife, from whom he was separated, and a son.