Bollywood woke up to a loss on Thursday, October 8, when veteran actor Nana Patekar died in Goa after a cardiac arrest. Hours later, the tributes turned personal. Anil Kapoor, his co-star across four films, shared a late-night note that framed the moment through friendship rather than stardom.
The tribute that arrived after the last rites
Around 11 pm on October 8, as Patekar’s last rites were being performed at his ancestral farmhouse in Donje, Pune, Kapoor posted a photograph of the two men walking hand in hand on a film set. His caption began with a line that quickly travelled across social media:
“Mera dost mujhe chhodkar chala gaya… pehle Satish aur ab mera Nanya.”
The note translates as “My friend has left me… first Satish, and now my Nanya.” He added that Patekar had left too suddenly and called him “the biggest artiste in the world.” Kapoor wrote that he would miss him in life, on set, on the phone and on the big screen.
In the comments, Kapoor’s daughter Sonam wrote, “I’m so sorry dad. You really loved him.” Her reply underlined what the post already made clear: this was not a formal industry condolence but a friend speaking.
A bond built over four films
Kapoor and Patekar first worked together in Parinda in 1989. Their most loved pairing, though, came in the Welcome films, where Patekar played the short-tempered don Uday and Kapoor played his loyal, flamboyant painter brother Majnu. The roles made them one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable on-screen sibling duos, and the comedy survived on their push-and-pull rhythm.
There were four films in all. The collaborations included:
- Parinda (1989): an early meeting in a very different register
- The Welcome films: Uday and Majnu’s comic partnership
- Subedaar (2026): where Patekar made a cameo alongside Kapoor, closing the loop on their long association
That history is why fans responded to Kapoor’s tribute with a line of their own, borrowing a famous Welcome dialogue about money, fame and respect having limits; one wrote that what remained was not time.
The context: a sudden death in Goa
Patekar was found unconscious at his Dona Paula residence in the early hours of October 8. He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes. He was pronounced dead at approximately 5:20 am. The cause was cardiac arrest.
The National Award-winning actor was later cremated with full state honours in Pune, with politicians, actors and fans present. Patekar was a Padma Shri recipient and a three-time National Film Award winner. He was last seen on the big screen in O’ Romeo and still has titles such as Eetha, Shakti Shalini and The Confession of Mary in the pipeline.
For an audience that grew up with Uday and Majnu, Kapoor’s post was a reminder that the most memorable Bollywood chemistry usually begins off screen.
Source: Bollywood Bubble
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