Veteran actor and director Nana Patekar died on Thursday night aged 75 after suffering a severe cardiac arrest in his Goa home.
Nana Patekar was discovered after he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was found stunned at his home in Dona Paula. He was pronounced dead around 5:20 am, hospital officials said. Removing his head, he was placed on a respirator and a continuous CPR was conducted for nearly 45 minutes, but could not be revived.
The resuscitation process would go on for a long time but ultimately Patekar couldn’t be revived, says Dr Shekhar Salkar, chief of the Oncology Department at the Manipal Hospital. A medico-legal case has also been written up and a post mortem will be held.
The actor, born Vishwanath Patekar, has started his film career with the 1978 Hindi film Gaman. He went on to become one of the stars of Hindi and Marathi films with his highly expressive action portrayals and acting style of delivering the dialogues, over a span of over 40 years.
Patekar was awarded National Film Award for Best Actor for Krantiveer and National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Agni Sakshi. He also made many films which brought him immense popularity including Parinda, Ab Tak Chhappan and Welcome.
Besides acting, Patekar was involved in the making of films and performing in the theatre. He made films in Hindi and Marathi, including Prahaar: The Final Attack, which he helmed. In 2013, he had been honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema.
He died after a long career that saw him achieve success in acting, filmmaking and theatre over a number of decades.