Nana Patekar, Star of "Parinda" and "Krantiveer," Dies at 75

Nana Patekar, the Indian actor whose intense, volatile screen presence defined crime dramas and comedies across Hindi and Marathi cinema, died Thursday at his home in Goa. He was 75.

Patekar suffered a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula and was declared dead at 5:20 a.m., according to the news agency ANI. Dr. Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital told the agency that doctors performed CPR for 45 minutes without reviving him. Salkar said officials opened a medico-legal case and an autopsy would follow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, calling Patekar an “exceptional artist” who won over audiences with the range of his characters. Home Minister Amit Shah and cricketer Virat Kohli also paid their respects, and Rajinikanth called him a dear friend on X. Maharashtra’s cultural affairs minister, Ashish Shelar, announced that the state will hold a funeral with full honors.

Born Vishwanath Patekar on Jan. 1, 1951, in Murud-Janjira, he trained at Mumbai’s Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Arts and built his craft in theater before turning to film. His breakout came as the crime boss Anna in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1989 thriller “Parinda,” which earned him a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award for best supporting actor. Five years later he took the lead in “Krantiveer” and won the National Award, the Filmfare and the Screen Award for best actor. He directed and starred in “Prahaar” in 1991, and later showed a lighter touch as the good-hearted gangster Uday Shetty in “Welcome” and its sequel. His most recent screen work included “O’ Romeo” this year.

Patekar also served as an honorary lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army and was deployed during the 1999 Kargil War, according to his biography. The government awarded him the Padma Shri in 2013. He ran charitable work through the Naam Foundation. This year he traveled to Rajouri and Poonch, where his NGO distributed Rs 42 lakh in aid to 117 families hit by cross-border shelling during Operation Sindoor.

Colleagues have remembered his candor as much as his craft. Patekar was known for blunt public statements and a temper that sometimes made headlines, including a viral confrontation with a fan that he later said was part of a film rehearsal.