Nana Patekar dies: A titan who challenged Bollywood's idea of the 'hero' and changed the grammar of acting

There are stars, there are superstars, and then there are artistes. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Nana Patekar never sought to be anything more than an actor.

That was precisely what made him an artiste, and perhaps one of the finest Hindi cinema has produced. For an actor to emerge in the 1980s, challenge the idea of what a 'Bollywood hero' should look like and then alter the rules of the game was no small achievement. Nana's success opened the door for many actors who did not want to follow the 'road more travelled' to stardom.

Not a star, but an actor

Born Vishwanath Patekar into a Marathi family in 1951, Nana began his acting career in his late 20s. There was no grand launch or giant poster featuring his face, but a quiet debut in the 1978 Marathi film "Mimagaman." He appeared in several Marathi films over the following years before playing Nathuram Godse in a small role in the British television series "Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy." By the mid-1980s, as his acting began to attract attention, his screen time increased. One of the earliest Hindi films to bring him recognition was "Aaj Ki Awaz" (1984). Two years later, "Ankush" followed.

The 1986 film, directed by N Chandra, centred on four unemployed young men whose wayward behaviour is changed by a mother and daughter living in their neighbourhood. After the daughter is sexually assaulted, the young men take the law into their own hands. Nana's energetic performance, rapid-fire dialogue delivery and pensive stare made him stand out. The role established what would later become known as the Nana template.

As the 1990s began, Nana had established himself as an acclaimed actor. His performance in Mira Nair's Oscar-nominated 1987 film "Salaam Bombay" earned him praise. He then won his first National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for "Parinda." But the 'supporting actor' label remained attached to him. Although his performances were widely praised, he was often cast alongside more 'saleable' names in major films. He decided to change that himself.

In 1991, Nana made his directorial debut with "Prahaar," about a retired Army officer who decides to deliver justice on his own terms. The film starred Madhuri Dixit alongside Nana, who also played the lead role. It achieved moderate success at the box office and later became a cult favourite on cable television. "Tiranga" and "Krantiveer" transformed him into a box-office draw in the mid-1990s. The former was a masala action film in which he starred alongside veteran actor Raaj Kumar, while the latter was a social drama in which he played another renegade vigilante. "Krantiveer" also produced one of Nana's earliest 'viral' scenes.

Despite not looking or behaving like a conventional star, Nana Patekar had become one. For Krantiveer, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. He was now a leading man.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Nana appeared in smaller films as well as supporting roles in blockbusters, balancing both sides of his career and refusing to be confined to a single label. Was he a 'hero' or a 'character actor'? He could not be put in either box. In 2004, he played his last major leading role in a commercially successful film, "Ab Tak Chhappan."

The chameleon who could do comedy

Nana had also experimented with comedy during the 1990s. His performance in the famous "Love Rap" sequence from "Krantiveer" remained a fixture on television screens for months and became a cultural phenomenon. However, until the 2000s, comedy was generally only one element of his roles.

In 2007, he appeared in "Welcome," an ensemble comedy in which he played his zaniest role to date. Uday Shetty became an icon, while Nana Patekar demonstrated that he was more than just a 'serious' actor. His performances in "Bluffmaster," "Phir Hera Pheri" and "Hattrick" had already offered glimpses of his exceptional comic timing.

Controversy's favourite child

As accomplished as Nana was as an actor, controversy followed him throughout his career. In 2008, Tanushree Dutta accused him of sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn 'Ok' Pleassss. She filed a complaint with CINTAA (Cine & TV Artists Association) that year and repeated the allegation in 2013 and 2018. Nana denied all the allegations.

In 2018, CINTAA apologised to Tanushree, acknowledging that the "chief grievance of sexual harassment wasn't even addressed (in 2008)" but said that the case was more than three years old and therefore could not be reopened.

That year, Nana filed a police complaint and an FIR was registered against him. The case emerged as India's #MeToo movement was gaining momentum. However, a year later, Nana was cleared of the sexual harassment allegations. The B-Summary report filed by Oshiwara police station in Mumbai said Tanushree Dutta's complaint could be "malicious" and "out of revenge".

Madhoo, his co-star in "Yehswant," later recalled that Nana slapped her during a scene without warning, prompting her to slap him back. The actor maintained that the action was required for the scene, while Madhoo said years later that she felt professional boundaries had been crossed.

The controversies, however, did not derail his career. Nana continued to appear in commercially successful and critically acclaimed films, including "Rajneeti," "Natsamrat" and "Ab Tak Chhappan 2," during the 2010s.

Nana Patekar's final performance was as a maverick, unpredictable police officer in Vishal Bhardwaj's "O'Romeo," released in 2026. The actor died six months later, aged 75, at his Goa home.