Pune, October 9: Nana Patekar last rites were performed with full state honours late on Thursday night at his farmhouse in Donje village in Pune district, hours after the veteran actor died in Goa at the age of 75. His son Malhar lit the funeral pyre as thousands of admirers gathered to bid him a final farewell.
Patekar was declared dead at 5.20 am on Thursday, October 8, after he was found unconscious at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital in Goa said the actor was brought dead and that cardiac massage was given for almost 45 minutes. Doctors suspect he suffered a severe cardiac arrest, and the hospital said a medico-legal case has been registered.
The actor’s mortal remains were kept in Goa for a short while for people to pay their respects and were then flown to Pune. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute at Pune International Airport when the remains arrived. The state government had earlier decided to accord him a state funeral, a decision announced by Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar.
The cremation, initially expected at around 4 pm, was held late at night at the Donje farmhouse. According to Marathi media reports, police personnel accorded a ceremonial salute with gunfire as the crowd raised chants of “Nana Amar Rahe”. Aides said Patekar had expressed the wish to be cremated at his farmhouse.
Among those present were Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale and Murlidhar Mohol, state ministers Chandrakant Patil, Uday Samant and Madhuri Misal, and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare. Actor Makarand Anaspure, who co-founded the Naam Foundation with Patekar, actor Jackie Shroff and filmmakers Anil Sharma and Sajid Nadiadwala also attended, along with several personalities from cinema, politics, sports and social work.
The farewell has drawn renewed attention to an interview Patekar gave in September 2023 while promoting The Vaccine War. Speaking to Aaj Tak, he had said he knew he would have to leave one day and had already kept aside 12 maunds of dry wood for his own cremation. He described the wood as his final property, the only thing he would take with him.
He had also asked that wet wood not be used. In his characteristic humour, he remarked that wet wood would create smoke and make mourners’ eyes water, and people might assume they were crying for him. Clips of the interview have been shared widely on social media since his death. There has been no official word on whether the wood he spoke of was used for the pyre.
According to Marathi media reports, Malhar told reporters after the cremation that his father had been in good health before his death.
Born Vishwanath Patekar on January 1, 1951, in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, he made his film debut with Gaman in 1978 and went on to become one of the most acclaimed performers in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He won three National Film Awards, including Best Actor for Krantiveer, and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013. His notable films include Parinda, Agni Sakshi, Khamoshi: The Musical, Ab Tak Chhappan, Welcome and Natsamrat. He also directed Prahaar: The Final Attack.
Beyond cinema, Patekar was widely respected for his simple lifestyle and social work. In 2015, he and Anaspure set up the Naam Foundation to support drought-hit farmers and their families in Maharashtra. He remained active on screen until this year, appearing in O’Romeo and making his OTT debut in Prakash Jha’s series Sankalp.
Tributes have poured in from across the country, with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Fadnavis and members of the film fraternity remembering him as a powerful actor and a committed social worker.
Nana Patekar Had Kept 12 Maunds of Dry Wood Ready for His Own Funeral Pyre, With One Last Condition
Veteran actor Nana Patekar, who passed away on Thursday, 8 October 2026, at the age of 75 after a cardiac arrest at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, had spoken about his own death three years ago with rare calm and humour.
In a September 2023 interview with Aaj Tak, he revealed that he had already kept aside 12 maunds of dry wood, nearly half a tonne, for his own cremation. He described it as his final property, the only thing he would take with him.
There shouldn’t be misunderstanding , use dry woods for my pyre after my death : Late Nana Patekar
#RIPNanaPatekar #NanaPatekar #FinalRites #NanaPatekarFinalRites https://t.co/7Agtiqk3K1— The Voice of Sikkim (@tvsikkim) October 9, 2026
He had one condition: no wet wood. Wet wood makes smoke, smoke makes eyes water, and he joked that he did not want anyone to mistake those tears for grief over him.
The old clip is now going viral, with fans calling it the truest picture of the man: blunt, simple and unafraid.
A National Award winner, Padma Shri recipient and co-founder of Naam Foundation, Nana lived by his own rules and had clearly planned to leave by them too.
Om Shanti.
