Acclaimed Indian actor Nana Patekar dies aged 75

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, the Press Trust of India news agency reported on Thursday, citing a doctor at the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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.

Patekar is survived by his wife and son.