Veteran actor Nana Patekar dies of heart attack at 75 at his home in Goa

Mumbai: Veteran Marathi and Hindi film actor Nana Patekar died in the early hours of Thursday. He was 75. It has been reported that he died of a severe heart attack. Grief is being expressed across the film industry following his death.

Patekar was at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, where he was found unconscious. He was rushed to hospital, but doctors there declared him dead.

His ties were not limited to cinema; he also shared close relations with political leaders. He had earlier spoken about Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar. "Sharad Pawar was once my hero. But politics has changed now," he had said.

Patekar had praised Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at a public event. "There are very few people in the state's politics against whom there is no blemish, and Eknath Shinde is one of them. He held the Chief Minister's post, yet no one can point a finger at him," Patekar had said.

Patekar also had good relations with Balasaheb Thackeray. He had reacted to the split in the Shiv Sena. "I felt bad when the Shiv Sena split. I was close to everyone, starting with Balasaheb. Balasaheb would phone me and say, 'You rascal, what are you up to?' After Balasaheb passed away, my connection with Matoshree ended," he had said. Patekar had also once advised that "Raj and Uddhav should come together, for the good of the Marathi people."

Born Vishwajeet Dinkarrao Patekar, Nana Patekar was a towering and acclaimed figure of the film world. He made his mark not only in Marathi but also in Hindi, Tamil and Kannada films. He made his debut in 1978 with the film Gaman.

He went on to win great popularity through films such as Natsamrat, Prahaar, Aapla Manus, Krantiveer, Tiranga and Khamoshi. Natsamrat is his most celebrated film. His powerful performances in many films left such an impression on audiences that the name Nana Patekar became immortal in the world of acting.