Mumbai prayer meet honors late actor Nana Patekar as film fraternity gathers

Prayer Meet

A prayer meet titled 'Aathvanilya Nana' took place in Mumbai on October 15 to remember veteran actor Nana Patekar, one week after his death on October 8. The gathering was held at the P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy complex in the Prabhadevi area. Attendees included actors Shivaji Satam, Rohini Hattangadi, and Varsha Usgaonkar, along with filmmaker Sanjay Jadhav, director Mehul Kumar, and Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe. A special rangoli at the entrance featured the late actor's character from his acclaimed Marathi film 'Natsamrat'.

Tributes and Criticism

Speaking at the event, Tukaram Mundhe remembered his close friend for his social consciousness and commitment to helping the underprivileged. Mundhe stated that the late actor was deeply concerned with uplifting the poor and that others are trying to follow that same path. Meanwhile, filmmaker and actor Pravin Tarde criticized film industry personalities in an interview with ABP Majha for their absence from the funeral. Tarde noted that while thousands of farmers attended the procession in Pune, individuals from the film industry should have been present, though he added that Jackie Shroff and Suresh Wadkar did attend.

Context

Memorial gatherings of this kind allow the film fraternity and close associates to pay their respects and honor the cultural legacy of a veteran artist. Nana Patekar built a notable career across both Hindi and Marathi cinema before passing away at the age of 75.