"He was truly unique figure in realm of acting": Uttarakhand CM Dhami mourns Nana Patekar's death

Speaking about Patekar's demise in Haridwar, Dhami said he had personally met the actor and closely observed his acting as well as his way of life.

He said, "Today is a very sad day. We received the deeply saddening news that Nana Patekar is no longer with us; I had personally met him. I observed him closely, his acting and his way of life, and I can say that he was a truly unique figure in the realm of acting. That remarkable individual has left us. He will truly be missed, and we will always feel his absence."

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah also mourned Patekar's demise and recalled his association with the actor, describing him as a close friend and a noble person.

"He was a very good friend of mine. He was a very noble man. He spent his entire life helping the poor and the destitute. He used to live in the most marginalised tribal villages himself, working to alleviate their hardships. I met him once when he visited. At that time, General Patankar was the commander in Kupwara. I took him by helicopter from there to Gurez and Machil Valley to show him the area. He used to visit frequently and meet me often. He even attended a wedding once, where I had the opportunity to dance with him. Along with that gentleness, he truly understood people's hardships. May god grant him a place in heaven," said Farooq Abdullah.

Nana Patekar died after suffering a severe cardiac arrest. He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes. Dr Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital, confirmed the news to ANI.

According to Dr Salkar, Nana had sent a message to a friend at around 2:30 am saying that he was not feeling well. The friend later reached his residence at around 4 am.

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 Bhardwajs ORomeo, which stars Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri. Patekar further made a cameo appearance in Subedar, featuring Anil Kapoor and Radhika Madan. (ANI)