1989
Parinda
A National Award-winning supporting performance.
Stories of achievement, courage and contribution
Actor, filmmaker and social worker whose intense performances, unmistakable dialogue delivery and work across Hindi and Marathi cinema made him one of Indian film’s most distinctive personalities.
Nana Patekar was born Vishwanath Patekar on 1 January 1951 in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra. Financial hardship shaped his early years, and as a teenager he worked painting film posters while continuing his education. He later studied applied art in Mumbai before moving through theatre into cinema.
His screen career began with Gaman in 1978 and grew across Hindi and Marathi films. Patekar became known for performances that could be explosive, restrained, comic or deeply vulnerable, with major work including Parinda, Krantiveer, Agni Sakshi, Ab Tak Chhappan, Welcome and Natsamrat.
He received three National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards, and the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2013. Away from cinema, he co-founded NAAM Foundation with Makarand Anaspure in 2015 to support drought-affected farmers and rural communities in Maharashtra.
Nana Patekar died on 8 October 2026 at age 75. Tributes across Indian cinema and public life reflected the unusually broad place he held as both an actor and a socially engaged public figure.
Selected milestones from a life that moved between performance, filmmaking, the armed forces and social work.
Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira. Financial difficulties during his youth pushed him to work from an early age while continuing his studies.
After studying applied art and working in theatre, Patekar began his film career and gradually built a reputation for unconventional performances.
His performance earned the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and established him as one of the era’s most distinctive performers.
Patekar directed and starred in Prahaar: The Final Attack, a film strongly shaped by military themes.
The role brought him the National Film Award for Best Actor and became central to his public image.
Another acclaimed dramatic performance reinforced his reputation for psychologically difficult roles.
As Uday Shetty, Patekar displayed comic timing very different from the intensity of many earlier roles.
The Government of India recognised his contribution to art with the Padma Shri.
With Makarand Anaspure, he helped start NAAM Foundation in response to drought and farmer distress in Maharashtra.
His portrayal of a retired stage actor became one of the most celebrated later performances of his career.
Nana Patekar died on 8 October 2026 at age 75. Tributes remembered both his cinema and his work with rural communities.
Krantiveer brought together many qualities audiences associated with Patekar: controlled anger, moral urgency, sharp dialogue delivery and an ability to make long dramatic passages feel immediate.
The performance won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. Yet later comedy in Welcome and the emotional weight of Natsamrat showed that his range extended far beyond the intense persona.
National Award Winner • Actor • FilmmakerA concise selection rather than a complete filmography.
A National Award-winning supporting performance.
His directorial debut and a film closely connected to military life.
Best Actor at the National Film Awards and one of his most remembered roles.
Another National Award-winning dramatic performance.
A restrained crime performance that became a later-career landmark.
Uday Shetty introduced his comic timing to a new generation.
National civilian honour for contribution in the field of art.
Co-founded to support farmers, water projects and rural development.
A landmark Marathi performance late in his career.
Patekar rarely depended on conventional star polish. His pauses, bursts of speech, physical stillness and distinctive voice could make a character feel unpredictable before a scene reached its dramatic peak.
That made him effective in crime dramas and social films, while later roles also showed a strong instinct for comedy and self-parody.
In September 2015, Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure spearheaded NAAM Foundation in response to drought conditions and farmer distress in Maharashtra.
The organisation has worked on farmer support, water conservation, village development and assistance to families affected by agrarian hardship.
This work became an important part of Patekar’s public identity and explains why many tributes after his death focused on both his cinema and his social contribution.
Major facts on this page are supported by current reporting, Government of India records and organisational sources.
Current reporting on his death, career and legacy.
Read Reuters report →Official Gazette record listing Nana Gajanan Patekar as a Padma Shri recipient in Art.
View official record →Official account of the organisation’s formation and rural work.
Visit NAAM Foundation →Career overview covering his birth, education, films and awards.
Read profile →2025 photograph by Bollywood Hungama, used under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
View image licence →Quick answers about his life, films, awards, social work and death.
He was born Vishwanath Patekar and became widely known by his screen name Nana Patekar.
He was born on 1 January 1951 in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra.
His notable work includes Parinda, Krantiveer, Agni Sakshi, Ab Tak Chhappan, Welcome and Natsamrat.
He received three National Film Awards during his career.
Yes. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2013 for his contribution to art.
NAAM Foundation was spearheaded by Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure in 2015 to support drought-affected farmers and rural communities.
Nana Patekar died on 8 October 2026 at age 75. Contemporary reports said he suffered a cardiac arrest.
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