Indian actor Nana Patekar was confirmed dead on the 8th of October, 2026, at around 5:20 am. He was confirmed to have suffered a cardiac arrest at his home by Dr Shekhar Salkar of the Department of Oncology at Manipal Hospital (ANI, 2026).
India Today reported that Nana Patekar had complained of severe chest pain, as narrated by the actor's son, Malhar Patekar. He was found unresponsive at his residence and was called upon by his caretaker since his home wasn't far away from the hospital. They arrived by ambulance and provided necessary first aid to revive him, but it was futile (India Today, 2026).
Since he was not a registered member of the hospital and as it was customary to do so, the police were informed about his death, and it was registered as an unnatural death case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. He was cremated with full state honours at his Donje farmhouse in Pune (India Today, 2026).
Nana Patekar lived a full life, and as his son said in a message to the media reported in the Khaleej Times: Nana’s achievements have made him immortal, and his vision for the future is to shape the life ahead (Khaleej Times, 2026).
Nana Patekar Origin.
The 75-year-old veteran actor was born as Vishwanath Patekar in Maharashtra state, India, and is quite famous for his acting career, which has spanned up to five decades. He married Neelkanthi Patekar, and they have a son; he studied at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai before delving into theatre and cinema. (Bernama, 2026; India Today, 2026).
Patekar’s acting roles were a mix of Hindi and Marathi films, and his debut was with ‘Gaman’, a 1978 film, and he has since starred in other films such as Prahar, Angaar, Ab Tak Chhappan, Tiranga, Aaj Ki Awaaz, Mohre, and so much more. He appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo as a police officer, cameoed in Subedar, and was a part of Housefull 5 with stars like Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, and so on (Outlook News Desk, 2026)
Awards and Recognition
He was more than just an actor in many ways, and it gained him recognition in the Indian film industry as the only Filmfare winner in three categories. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ‘Parinda’ (1990, where he played a volatile gangster. The role also won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor (Outlook News Desk, 2026).
His second Filmfare Award was for Best Villain in the film ‘Angaar’ (1993, and his third was for his role in ‘Krantiveer’ (1995, where he played the fiery Pratap Narayan Tilak. The role won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, and the National Film Award for Best Actor (Outlook News Desk, 2026; India Times, 2026)
The fourth movie to earn him another Filmfare Award was for Best Villain in ‘Apaharan’, 2007, where he played the role of a morally complex politician. He also won two Filmfare awards in Marathi, one for Best Actor in ‘Natsamrat’ in 2017, making him one of the few to win the Award in these categories. He has also won three National Film Awards (Outlook News Desk, 2026; Times of India, n.d.).
He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2013 for his contribution to cinema and the arts. His patriotism goes beyond film, as he started Naam Foundation alongside Makarand Anaspure to help drought-affected families (Governance Now, 2016).
Controversies.
Patekar's life was not all perfect in his lifetime; he encountered some controversies with Tanushree Dutta in 2008, when he was accused of sexual harassment. Dutta allegedly said that Patekar had touched her inappropriately during the choreography while shooting a song for Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss at Filmistan Studios in Goregaon, Mumbai. The case resurfaced in 2018 as a result of a movement called #MeToo (TeamBrut, 2026)
Dutta attended interviews and explained the allegations. When Patekar was called out for it, he denied it and called it untrue. The case was registered at Mumbai’s Oshiwara Police Station against Patekar, the choreographer, director, and producer of the song (TeamBrut, 2026).
The case was ruled out by the police on the grounds of insufficient evidence to support Dutta’s allegations. The police said that the thirteen witnesses' accounts did not corroborate, and so they filed a B-summary closure report (TeamBrut, 2026).
It returned back to court years later, and in 2025, it was disposed on the account of being filed for more than a decade and there has been no application to explain or seek confirmation of the delay since the 2008 incident (TeamBrut, 2026).
The claim did not hold up in court, but since the news of his death, Dutta has only offered condolences to his family and stated that she will decide what she wants to say before commenting further (TeamBrut, 2026).
References:
- Actor Nana Patekar dies at 75, found unresponsive at Goa flat. (2026, October 8). India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in
- ANI. (2026, October 8). Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar dies after cardiac arrest at his residence. Khaleej Times. https://www.khaleejtimes.com
- Husain, S. (2026, October 8). Indian film actor Nana Patekar dies at 75. Bernama. https://bernama.com
- Minhas, G. (2016, March 14). Farmers feel they are alone, they are losing self-respect: Nana Patekar [Interview]. Governance Now. https://governancenow.com
- Nana Patekar passes away: Goa police register an unnatural death (UD) case. (2026, October 9). Khaleej Times. https://www.khaleejtimes.com
- Outlook News Desk. (2026, October 8). Nana Patekar dies at 75: Celebs pay tribute to the veteran actor. Outlook India. https://www.outlookindia.com
- Team Brut. (2026, October 8). Tanushree Dutta reacts to Nana Patekar's death: "What kind of reaction I should have." Brut India. https://www.brut.media
- Times of India. (n.d.). Nana Patekar: Awards. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com