Nana Patekar (born Vishwanath Patekar, 1 January 1951, Murud-Janjira) was a Hindi and Marathi actor, writer and director. He won National Awards for Parinda (1…
On 1 January 1951 in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra. He later studied at the Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art in Mumbai.
In Marathi theatre. The stage gave him the pauses, timing and voice that defined his screen work.
Gaman (1978), a drama about a migrant taxi driver in Bombay. No star launch, just a role.
His quiet, fire-fearing gang boss was frightening because he felt real. It won his first National Award.
Once: Prahaar (1991). He trained with the Maratha Light Infantry to make it.
Krantiveer (1994), as an angry everyman railing against corruption and communal violence.
Three in seven years: Parinda, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi, where he played an obsessive, abusive husband.
Yes. With Defence Ministry permission he spent time with army units in Kashmir in August 1999, helping at a base hospital.
Sadhu Agashe, a Mumbai encounter specialist, drawn from the real police squads of the 1990s.
Welcome (2007). His deadly-serious don became one of India's favourite meme templates.
In 2013, for his contribution to the arts. In 2015 he co-founded the Naam Foundation for drought-hit farmers.
A film of Kusumagraj's play about an ageing stage legend abandoned by his children. The theatre actor came home.
He denied a 2018 harassment allegation. Police filed a B-summary in 2019; a court closed the complaint on time-limit grounds in March 2025.
On 8 October 2026, of cardiac arrest, declared dead at Manipal Hospital in Goa. Maharashtra gave him a state funeral.
Read the complete story, FAQs and key facts.