Veteran actor Nana Patekar, 75, died at his residence in Goa in the early hours of Thursday. He suffered a heart attack. His last rites set to be performed at his farmhouse in Pune with full state honours.
“The mortal remains will be brought (to Pune) by around 5 pm, and later will be kept for the last 'darshan'. The last rites will be performed on the premises of his farmhouse,” said Ganesh Thorat, the CEO of Patekar's Naam Foundation, which works for water conservation.
Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar announced that Patekar would be accorded a state funeral in recognition of his significant contribution to Marathi and Indian theatre and cinema.
Patekar was found unconscious at his apartment in Dona Paula, near Panaji, and was subsequently taken to a private hospital. Dr Shekhar Salkar, who treated the actor, said doctors performed CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for around 45 minutes but could not revive him. He was declared dead at 5.10 am.
A medico-legal case has been registered, and Patekar’s body was sent to Goa Medical College and Hospital in Bambolim for a postmortem to determine the exact cause of death. He is suspected to have suffered a heart attack.
Born Vishwanath Patekar into a Marathi family in Murud-Janjira in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, Patekar had a long and acclaimed career spanning theatre and cinema. He is survived by his wife and son.
