Actor Nana Patekar dies of heart attack in Goa at 75; Chandrapur leaders pay tributes

Chandrapur: Veteran actor and social worker Nana Patekar died of a severe heart attack in Goa on Thursday, October 8. He was 75. Grief is being expressed across Chandrapur district as the news spreads.

MP Pratibha Dhanorkar and MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar paid heartfelt tributes to Patekar. Both leaders recalled the National Awards he won, his Padma Shri honour and his work for the welfare of farmers through the Naam Foundation. They also noted that his passing has left a big void in Marathi and Hindi cinema.

Expressing her grief, Dhanorkar said: "Words fall short today and the heart is numb. A great artist who set the seal of the National Award on the national stage with his rich acting, and on the other hand a true champion of the farmer who showed a ray of hope, through the Naam Foundation's water conservation movement, to a Maharashtra scorched by drought, has left us today."

Dhanorkar added: "Whenever Maharashtra was in crisis and the shadow of drought darkened, he did not merely wipe away tears; he stayed close to the soil and built a mountain of work on the ground. Even after reaching the highest peak of success in the field of art, his feet remained firmly on the ground and his heart stayed bound to the sorrows of the common man. It is not possible to have such a saintly soul again. The void created by his departure can never be filled. May God grant peace to his soul, and give his family, colleagues and fans across the world the strength to bear this boundless grief."

In his condolence message, Mungantiwar said: "Nana Patekar was not only an extraordinary artist who created his own distinct acting style, but a sensitive personality who moved the public mind through every role and, when the occasion called for it, made audiences laugh heartily in his own way. With his death, the curtain has, as it were, fallen on an immortal chapter of acting in Marathi and Hindi cinema."

Patekar won National Awards for his outstanding performances in the films Parinda, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013. He made his mark as a versatile actor in numerous films and plays, including Yashwant, Ab Tak Chhappan, Raajneeti, Natsamrat and Welcome.

Paying tribute to his contribution, Mungantiwar said: "His acting was not merely the delivery of dialogue; it was an eruption of emotion and a mirror of reality. His roles became immortal because of the weight of his voice, the edge in his dialogue and his knack of dissolving completely into a character. Alongside acting, the work he did through the Naam Foundation for farmers, the drought-hit and the needy in rural areas shows the humanity in his heart. The name Nana Patekar is now an immortal chapter in the history of Indian acting. I offer my humble tribute to the memory of this great artist."