MUMBAI: Nana Patekar, a veteran Indian actor known for his fiery performances in Bollywood films and theatre, died on Thursday aged 75, local media reported.
Patekar was found unconscious at his home in the coastal state of Goa early on Thursday morning and doctors were unable to revive him, news agency ANI and other media reported.
He died of cardiac arrest, but it was unclear what triggered it, Shekhar Salkar, chief of the oncology department at the Manipal Hospital, where Patekar was brought, told ANI.
Born Vishawanath Patekar, but popularly known as Nana, he started his career doing theatre in Marathi, the language spoken in his home state of Maharashtra, which is also home to Bollywood.
Patekar acted in several of India’s arthouse movies in the 1970’s and 80’s, including Mira Nair’s award-winning “Salaam Bombay” before moving to mainstream Bollywood.
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.
His performances, marked by trademark aggression and forceful dialogue, won him several national and regional film awards.
Brought dead, says doctor
Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Oncology Department, Manipal Hospital, sayid the veteran actor was brought dead to the hospital. “Nana Patekar was brought dead to the hospital… he was declared dead by 5:30 am. We had tried our best to save him, but he was brought dead. Cardiac massage was given for almost 45 minutes to an hour, but he just could not be saved,” he said.
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 Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated “Salaam Bombay!”
He won three National Film Awards, India’s highest film honors, and received the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.
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 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 acted with Patekar in several movies.
Patekar is survived by his wife, from whom he was separated, and a son.
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With inputs from Reuters and AP