Veteran actor Nana Patekar has died at 75 after a cardiac arrest at his Goa residence. The news sent a wave of shock through the film industry, and tributes began arriving within hours.
A 2:30 am message that went unseen
Dr Shekhar Salkar, chief of oncology at Manipal Hospital, told ANI that Patekar messaged a friend around 2:30 am saying he was not feeling well. Because it was night, the friend did not see the text until he checked later, then called Patekar and reached his home around 4 am.
By then, the actor had been sweating and was drifting out of consciousness. His caretaker was sent to the hospital, and an ambulance was dispatched to the house, Dr Salkar said.
This is the timeline as shared by the hospital:
- 2:30 am: Patekar texts a friend that he is not feeling well.
- Around 4 am: The friend reaches his home and finds him sweating and slipping into unconsciousness.
- 4:20–4:30 am: Patekar is shifted to Manipal Hospital.
- 5:30 am: Doctors declare him dead after attempts to revive him.
The timeline is a sobering reminder of how quickly a cardiac emergency can move, even when help is nearby. For fans who grew up watching Patekar, the details make the loss feel less like a headline and more like a private emergency that ran out of time.
Efforts to save him
Dr Salkar said Patekar was brought dead
to the hospital around 4:30 am and was declared dead by 5:30 am. The medical team performed cardiac massage for 45 minutes to an hour, but he could not be revived.
Because the death was classified as a medico-legal case, a police case was filed. Patekar’s body was taken to Goa Medical College for post-mortem. His family was not present at the time; friends and a caretaker were with him, the doctor said.
Family and film industry react
Patekar is survived by his wife Neelkanti and son Malhar Patekar, as well as his brothers Ashok and Dilip Patekar. Tributes came from Jr NTR, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Kiara Advani and Rakul Preet Singh, among others.
Patekar was known for an intense, unmissable screen presence. The grief from co-stars and younger actors shows the respect he earned across generations, even though his final projects arrived with less fanfare.
A quieter final screen chapter
Patekar’s last big-screen appearance was in Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo, alongside Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri and Farida Jalal. The film released in February and did not do well at the box office, though his performance was noticed.
He was also seen in the Prime Video film Subedaar and in Prakash Jha’s socio-political series Sankalp, which streams on MX Player.
What stands out in the hospital’s account is not a dramatic on-set collapse but a quiet escalation between 2:30 am and dawn. That contrast is why the news has hit so hard across social media.
Source: Hindustan Times
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