Veteran actor Nana Patekar will be cremated with full state honours in Pune on Thursday, October 8, as tributes continue to pour in from President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Akshay Kumar and figures across Indian cinema and public life.
The Maharashtra government announced the state funeral hours after Patekar died at the age of 75 following a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said the honour was being accorded in recognition of Patekar’s contribution to Marathi theatre as well as Marathi and Hindi cinema.
Patekar’s last rites are expected to take place at his farmhouse near Donje village in Pune, a place with which the actor had a long personal connection. His mortal remains were to be brought from Goa to Maharashtra for the funeral.
PM Modi and President Murmu remember Nana Patekar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered Patekar as an actor whose intensity and individuality made him unmistakable on screen. Modi said Patekar brought remarkable versatility to his roles and created characters that would continue to be remembered across generations.
He also noted the actor’s reputation for speaking frankly about what he believed in and described his contribution to Hindi and Marathi cinema as immense, adding that his death had left a “deep void.”
President Droupadi Murmu also expressed grief over Patekar’s death, recalling both his powerful performances and his work beyond cinema. Her tribute highlighted his concern for disadvantaged communities and described his passing as a major loss to Indian cinema.
The national tributes reflect something that distinguished Patekar’s public life from that of many film stars. His reputation was built not only around performances in Parinda, Krantiveer, Ab Tak Chhappan and Natsamrat, but also around his long involvement in social causes, including efforts to support farmers in drought-affected parts of Maharashtra.
Akshay Kumar remembers ‘one of a kind’ co-star
Among Patekar’s film colleagues, Akshay Kumar offered one of the most personal tributes.
The two actors shared the screen memorably in Welcome, where Patekar’s portrayal of gangster Uday Shetty became one of the defining comic performances of his later career. They worked together again more recently in Housefull 5.
Akshay remembered Patekar’s voice, intensity and honesty as qualities that made his performances immediately distinctive. He also reflected on the memories they had accumulated while working together and described Patekar as “truly one of a kind.”
Riteish Deshmukh, Jr NTR, Prakash Raj, Ram Gopal Varma, Manisha Koirala, Paresh Rawal and several other actors and filmmakers also paid tribute following news of Patekar’s death.
Why the state honour carries particular significance
Patekar’s career stretched across nearly five decades and rarely settled into one kind of screen persona. His performance in Parinda earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Krantiveer brought him the National Award for Best Actor. He later won another supporting-actor National Award for Agni Sakshi.
He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 and ultimately became a three-time National Film Award winner.
But the state funeral also acknowledges the part of Patekar’s life that existed outside films. Through the Naam Foundation, which he co-founded, he became closely associated with initiatives supporting farmers and rural communities affected by drought and economic distress in Maharashtra. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis highlighted that social contribution while mourning the actor.
That makes Thursday’s ceremony more than a farewell to a decorated film actor. Patekar’s final journey in Maharashtra brings together the two sides of his public identity: a performer whose characters became part of popular Indian cinema and a public figure whose work extended well beyond the screen.
