Nana Patekar died at his home in Goa on 8 October after a cardiac arrest. The 75-year-old was found unconscious in the early hours, taken to a private hospital, and declared dead around 5:20 am after doctors tried to revive him for about 45 minutes.
The death brings a four-decade career to a close, but not his time on screen. Three completed films featuring Patekar are still awaiting release and will now arrive posthumously.
Three finished films are still to come
Each project shows a different register of his range, and each has its own release status.
- The Confession of Mary: Ananth Mahadevan directs Patekar as Father Benedict, a priest accused of murdering a woman in a story inspired by the 1966 Mariyakutty murder case in Kerala. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2025 and is waiting for a public release date.
- Eetha: Laxman Utekar’s biographical musical on Lavani and Tamasha artist Vithabai Narayangaonkar stars Shraddha Kapoor, Randeep Hooda and Anant Joshi. The release has moved before and is now set for 4 December 2026.
- Shakti Shalini: Maddock Films’ horror-comedy, directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, belongs to the same universe as Stree, Bhediya and Munjhya. It was expected on 24 December 2026, but reports suggest a shift to 2027.
One line was still waiting
Subhash Kale, co-producer of The Confession of Mary, told ANI that Patekar was due in Mumbai to complete a single remaining line of dubbing. “He told me, ‘I am coming to Bombay,'” Kale said.
The detail matters because it confirms these are not lost or unfinished performances. They are filmed, performed work that now carries the weight of a farewell.
What this means for fans
Posthumous releases change the way a performance is watched. Every close-up reads differently once the actor is gone, especially with a role such as Father Benedict, where Patekar plays a priest facing a murder charge and a crisis of conscience. The festival selection at TIFF 2025 suggests The Confession of Mary is the most prestige-driven of the three, while Eetha is the earliest confirmed theatrical date, and Shakti Shalini sits inside a proven commercial universe.
Patekar’s career always moved between intensity and scale. He was as identifiable in Marathi theatre and parallel cinema as he was in the biggest Bollywood films. The unreleased titles extend that pattern: a courtroom-style drama, a folk-art biopic, and a horror-comedy franchise.
What to watch for next
For now, only Eetha has a firm date: 4 December 2026. Treat Shakti Shalini’s 24 December slot as provisional until Maddock Films confirms it. The Confession of Mary has no release date yet, so its campaign will likely arrive as a separate announcement.
The best plan for fans is simple: mark the confirmed date, follow Maddock’s update for the horror-comedy, and keep space for The Confession of Mary. There is no need to rank these final performances against past work; the longer goodbye is enough.
Source: Hindustan Times
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