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Nana Patekar, an acclaimed Indian actor and filmmaker, died Thursday at his home in the western state of Goa. He was 75.
Patekar died of a suspected cardiac arrest, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing a doctor at the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Born Vishawanath Patekar in 1951 in India’s western state of Maharashtra, he built a career spanning nearly five decades in Hindi- and Marathi-language cinema. Patekar 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 in 1988 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.
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.
Patekar is survived by his wife and a son.
