ISLAMABAD: Veteran Indian actor Vishwanath ‘Nana’ Patekar has died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa, according to Indian media reports.
Patekar was found unconscious after complaining of chest pain. A medical team responding to the emergency attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before he was taken to hospital, Indian news agency ANI reported, quoting Dr Shehkar Salkar, head of oncology at Goa’s Manipal Hospital.
#WATCH | Goa: Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Oncology Department, Manipal Hospital, says, “Nana Patekar was brought dead to the hospital… he was declared dead by 5:30 am. We had tried our best to save him, but he was brought dead. Cardiac massage was given for almost 45 minutes to an hour, but he just could not be saved. As per what we recalled, at around 2:30, he sent a message to his friend that he was not feeling well. But as it was nighttime, his friend could not see the message. So he just called him. He went to his house at around 4 o’clock. By that time, he was sweating and all. They moved him, all those primary things. But he was slowly becoming unconscious… So they sent his caretaker to the hospital… He took our ambulance. When our ER team went there, they started cardiac massage because he was totally unresponsive… They shifted him to our hospital at around 4:20 or 4:30 am. We also tried our best, but he was brought dead. Then we had to file a police case because there’s an MLC (medico-legal case). The body has now been taken to the Goa Medical College for post-mortem. His family was not there. His friends were there with him and a caretaker.”
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2026
The actor was declared dead early on Thursday.
Dr Salkar said a medico-legal case had been registered and that a post-mortem examination would be conducted.
Distinguished Career
Patekar had a career spanning nearly five decades, working extensively in Hindi and Marathi cinema as well as appearing in a number of Tamil and Kannada films.
His film career began in 1978 with Gaman. He later earned critical acclaim for his performances in films including Mira Nair’s Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay! and Parinda.
Nana Patekar jee 🙏🙏💐💐 #Nanapatekar https://t.co/5Tbe9kY6s3
— KUMAR SAKET/ साकेत (@Saket0302Feb) October 8, 2026
He won three National Film Awards during his career — Best Supporting Actor for Parinda and Agni Sakshi, and Best Actor for Krantiveer.
In 2013, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
Popular With Fans
Patekar also became widely popular with a younger generation of Bollywood audiences for his portrayal of gangster Uday Shetty in the 2007 crime comedy Welcome.
His distinctive voice, intense acting style and performances across serious dramas and popular comedies made him one of the most recognisable figures in Indian cinema.
