Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 8 (ANI): Actor Rohit Shetty penned a heartfelt note to pay tribute to Nana Patekar after the actor's demise on Thursday. The director recalled Nana's generosity in not charging money for his cameo in the film 'Golmaal Again' and told him to donate the money to an orphanage.
Actor Nana Patekar passed awat at 5.20 am on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence, Dr Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Department of Oncology at Manipal Hospital, told ANI over the phone.
According to Dr Salkar, Patekar suffered cardiac arrest at his residence, and CPR was administered for 45 minutes. He remained in asystole throughout the CPR.
The successful director of Bollywood, Rohit Shetty, paid tribute to 'Tirangaa' actor by recalling his humourous late night calls with the actor and his honest reviews to his movies.
He wrote, "Dear Dada, I will miss your late-night calls. No hello and no formalities but a straight, 'Aye Shetty, kya kar raha hai?' And I would purposely reply "Kaun bol raha hai?”, to irritate you only to get a 'Saale, Nana bol raha hoon!' After my release, you were one of my biggest and most honest critics. You never sugar-coated anything."
The filmmaker also recalled the conversation between him and Nana Patekar during the negotiations for the late actor's cameo in 'Golmaal Again.'
"I will never forget when you did a cameo in Golmaal Again. I asked you, “Dada, aapki fees?" And you looked at me and said, Tujhse paise lunga? Ek anathashram ka number deta hoon, wahan donate kar de. That was you Dada. Straight. Unfiltered. Generous. And always genuine. I will miss being called Shetty by you. WILL MISS YOU DADA," wrote Rohit Shetty.
Akshay Kumar, who co-starred with Patekar in 'Welcome' and 'Housefull', remembered the performance of the veteran actor while paying tribute to the actor.
"Really saddened by the news of Nana ji’s passing. He was one of those rare actors who never needed to do too much to make you sit up and watch. That voice, that intensity, that honesty in every performance… he was completely his own. I feel fortunate that we got to work together in Welcome, and then again more recently in Housefull 5. There are so many memories from those sets that I’ll always hold close. Nana ji was truly one of a kind. It’s hard to believe you’re gone. Thank you for all the memories. You will be missed more than words can say," he posted on his X handle.
Really saddened by the news of Nana ji’s passing. He was one of those rare actors who never needed to do too much to make you sit up and watch. That voice, that intensity, that honesty in every performance… he was completely his own. I feel fortunate that we got to work together in Welcome, and then again more recently in Housefull 5. There are so many memories from those sets that I’ll always hold close. Nana ji was truly one of a kind. It’s hard to believe you’re gone. Thank you for all the memories. You will be missed more than words can say. 🙏
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) October 8, 2026
Nana Patekar was a celebrated actor who made a significant mark in both Hindi and Marathi cinema. He began his acting career with the 1978 film 'Gaman' and went on to deliver acclaimed performances in movies such as 'Parinda', 'Prahar', 'Angaar', 'Krantiveer', 'Tiranga', 'Khamoshi' and 'Ab Tak Chhappan'.
Even in recent years, Patekar remained active in films. The 75-year-old actor featured in Housefull 5, alongside Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh and others.
He also played a police officer in Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo, which stars Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri. Patekar further made a cameo appearance in Subedar, featuring Anil Kapoor and Radhika Madan. (ANI)
