Nana Patekar was unproven, unrecognizable. Some found him ‘difficult’ to work with, while others said he was ‘the easiest’. But he established a brand of cinema that no one else could compete with. As the actor died suddenly this morning, old videos have resurfaced.

In one such viral video, a journalist asked Nana Patekar in English. Nana Patekar stopped him midway and said, ‘Hindi mein bol, English nahi aati (Speak in Hindi. Can’t speak English). It was the press meet of Tarun Mansukhani’s Housefull 5. Nana Patekar was joined by Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Dino Morea etc. A line by Nana Patekar made the entire auditorium laugh.

Nana Patekar played the role of Superintendent Dhagdu Hulgund in the film.

On platforms like Reddit, some users jokingly compared Nana Patekar’s casting to Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Doctor Doom, calling it a complete wild card. The internet discussed how his unique “canny and angry man” comedy persona added a distinct flavor compared to other veteran actors.

Death of Nana Patekar

Nana Patekar died of a heart attack at the age of 75 at his home in Goa. He was declared dead at 5:20 am.

Patekar was found unconscious at his home in Goa’s Dona Paula and was rushed to Manipal Hospital where doctors tried to revive him for about 45 minutes before declaring him brought dead.

The filmmaker was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation, known as CPR, an emergency procedure performed when someone’s heart has stopped or breathing has stopped.

“Despite 45 minutes of continuous CPR, he could not be revived,” Dr Shekhar Salkar, head of oncology department at Manipal Hospital, told news agency ANI. “A medico-legal case (MLC) has been registered, and an autopsy will be conducted.”

The last rites of Nana Patekar will be performed this evening at his house in Donje village in Pune.

Also Read | Hunger taught Nana Patekar acting, but stardom never changed his simple life