Tanushree Dutta has intensified her criticism of late actor Nana Patekar, comparing him to Raavan while defending her controversial reaction to his death. During an Instagram Live session on October 10, 2026, the actress questioned why people object to criticism of someone who has died when Raavan’s effigy continues to be burned during Dussehra. Her latest remarks come amid growing backlash over her earlier description of Patekar as “evil dead,” a statement that has reopened their long-running dispute connected to India’s #MeToo movement.
Patekar died on October 8 at his residence in Goa at the age of 75, reportedly following a cardiac arrest. While members of the film industry paid tribute to the veteran actor, Dutta’s response attracted criticism from social media users and the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA). Rather than withdrawing her remarks, she has continued to speak about the alleged mistreatment she says she experienced during and after working with him.
The latest video takes that disagreement further, with Dutta using a religious analogy to explain why she believes death should not prevent criticism of someone’s past conduct.
Tanushree Dutta invokes Raavan while defending her comments
In the Instagram Live video, Dutta responded to people who argued that she should avoid speaking negatively about Patekar following his death. She questioned why society continues the tradition of burning Raavan’s effigy during Dussehra if speaking critically about someone who has died is considered unacceptable.
Explaining her position, she said, “Mere dharam ne sikhaya hai ke shaitaan jeeteji shaitaan hai, aur marne ke baad bhi shaitaan hai.”
Her argument was that a person’s death does not automatically change how their past actions should be judged. Dutta also alleged that Patekar had never apologised for the wrongdoing she attributes to him and maintained that she had experienced years of personal and professional difficulties because of their dispute.
The actress went on to make several harsher remarks about Patekar and expressed anger over what she described as a publicity campaign against her. She also alleged that people associated with the late actor had attempted to make her life difficult, although those claims have not been independently established.
More controversially, Dutta questioned whether Patekar had actually died or whether his reported death could somehow be an attempt to evade scrutiny. She referred to investigations involving Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Salian while explaining her suspicions.
However, there is no credible evidence supporting her suggestion that Patekar’s death was staged or that it was connected to those investigations. His death was confirmed through reports citing medical authorities, and the speculation should not be confused with established facts.
The Raavan comparison, meanwhile, reflects Dutta’s argument about remembrance and accountability rather than introducing new evidence concerning her previous allegations against Patekar.
Why the Nana Patekar controversy continues after his death
The confrontation dates back to an incident Dutta alleged occurred in 2008 while filming a song for Horn ‘OK’ Pleassss. In 2018, she publicly accused Patekar of sexual harassment, becoming one of the prominent voices associated with India’s #MeToo movement. Patekar consistently denied the allegation.
Mumbai Police filed a closure report in 2019 after stating that their investigation had not found sufficient incriminating evidence. Dutta challenged that conclusion, but a Mumbai magistrate declined to proceed with the complaint in March 2025 because the alleged 2008 incident fell outside the applicable statutory limitation period.
An important distinction in that ruling was that the court did not determine whether the alleged 2008 incident had occurred. The magistrate stated that the allegation could neither be regarded as true nor false because its merits had not been examined. The proceedings did not result in a criminal conviction against Patekar.
This legal history matters because the current controversy involves both Dutta’s continued account of her experiences and the public response to comments made after Patekar’s death.
AICWA has strongly criticised her language, describing her earlier remarks as insensitive and inappropriate during a period of mourning. Its president, Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, also accused her of seeking publicity through her comments.
However, Dutta has received support from singer Sona Mohapatra and actress Sandhya Mridul, who have questioned the expectation that women should remain silent about alleged mistreatment following the death of someone they previously accused.
Mohapatra argued that respect for the deceased should not require people to rewrite their personal histories, while Mridul emphasised that someone’s death does not automatically erase the pain others may associate with them.
Their responses have shifted part of the discussion beyond Dutta’s choice of words toward a broader question about public mourning and how allegations of misconduct are remembered.
Dutta’s latest video has nevertheless introduced another complication. Defending her right to discuss alleged experiences is different from making unsupported claims about the circumstances of a person’s death. The first concerns her perspective on a disputed history; the second requires evidence that has not been presented.
For now, Dutta remains firm in her criticism of Patekar, while her increasingly pointed statements continue to divide opinion. What began as a reaction to the death of a celebrated actor has become another public confrontation over a dispute that first attracted national attention eight years ago.
