Veteran Actor Nana Patekar Cremated With State Honours In Pune After Sudden Death

Veteran actor Nana Patekar was cremated with full state honours at his Pune farmhouse in Donje village on Thursday, October 8, following his sudden death earlier that morning at the age of 75.

What Happened

Patekar suffered a severe cardiac arrest at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, and was rushed to Manipal Hospital. Doctors tried to revive him with CPR for about 45 minutes, but he was declared dead at around 5:20 AM IST. His son, Malhar Patekar, confirmed the news.

The Funeral

His body was flown to Pune airport, where Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid their respects. The remains were then taken by road to his farmhouse, known as Nanachi Wadi. A 21-gun salute by female police officers marked the ceremony, and his body was draped in the Tricolour. Malhar Patekar performed the last rites at around 11:30 PM in the presence of family, more than 1,000 fans, and film personalities including Jackie Shroff, producer Sajid Nadiadwala, and filmmaker Anil Sharma. Malhar later explained that the late-night timing was chosen because significant time had already passed since the morning tragedy.

Context

State funerals are rarely accorded to artists, usually reserved for prominent political and public figures, but governments occasionally grant them to legendary cultural icons to honour their lifetime achievements. Patekar was a Padma Shri recipient known for both his intense acting career in Hindi and Marathi cinema and his social work through the Naam Foundation, which he co-founded to help drought-hit farmers.