New Delhi [India], October 8 : The sudden death of veteran actor Nana Patekar has left the film industry in shock, with those who worked closely with him struggling to come to terms with the loss.
Subhash Kale, co-producer of Patekar-starrer upcoming crime thriller The Confession, also known as The Confession of Mary, said the actor was expected to return to Mumbai and complete the dubbing for the film soon.
Speaking to ANI, Kale recalled his last conversation with Patekar and said he was “completely shaken” after learning about the actor’s death.
“It is a very big loss, and it is unbelievable… unbelievable. I found out at around 7:30 this morning, as soon as I woke up, and I was completely shaken when I heard the news. Then, to confirm it, I immediately called Malhar, and it was confirmed. It is a huge grief, a very big loss for the industry. A very big loss! So sudden…”
Kale also spoke about Patekar’s pending work on The Confession. He said they had spoken just two days earlier about the dubbing, with only one line left for the actor to record.
“Yes, The Confession, which is set to release. We had spoken just the day before yesterday about the dubbing. There was one line that he had to dub. He told me, “I am coming to Bombay.” He was supposed to come to Bombay tomorrow, and he also had a shoot scheduled in Bombay for a film. So he told me, “I’ll come tomorrow, and we’ll do that one line.”
Recalling his bond with Patekar, Kale said the actor would call him whenever he came to Mumbai. He remembered spending time with him at the studio, where they would talk, joke and sing songs together.
"…Whenever he came to Mumbai, the first call would be to me: “I am coming to the studio.” We would sit together, have a lot of fun, joke around, sing songs… He was just incredible. What can I say now? I am unable to speak at this moment. I have to leave for Goa now, so…
Patekar died on Thursday at the age of 75 after suffering a severe cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa. He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes, but he could not be saved.
Dr Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital, confirmed the news to ANI. According to Dr Salkar, Patekar had sent a message to a friend around 2:30 am saying that he was not feeling well. The friend later reached his residence at around 4 am.
Patekar was one of the well-known actors in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He made his acting debut with the 1978 film Gaman and went on to work in films including Parinda, Prahar, Angaar, Krantiveer, Tiranga, Khamoshi and Ab Tak Chhappan.
In recent years, Patekar continued to work in films. He was seen in Housefull 5 and also appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri.