Nana Patekar died at his home in Goa after suffering a cardiac arrest on October 8. During the release of his 2024 film, Vanvaas, Nana was interviewed by his close friends and colleagues, Anil Kapoor, Vishal Bhardwaj.
In one such interview, Anil Kapoor asked Nana Patekar when he fell in love for the first time. "Hamare teenage me the na, fake the hum, do waqt ke. So roti se pehla pyar hua (During my teenage, I used to starve. So, my first love was roti)," said Patekar.
Asked about the first woman-love in his life, Nana said about his wife, Neelkanthi. Nana never divorced Neelkanthi, but they were separated for 35 years before Nana died.
During the 90s, Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala were rumoured to be in a relationship. But they never talked about it publicly.
In an interview published in 1997, Nana was on the verge of tears when he opened up about his feeling after the couple had broken up. "It's a very difficult phase. You have to experience it to know the pain. I can't find words to describe the pain I went through. Please, let's not talk about this. I miss Manisha," he said.
Camera hai isliye humare andar jo hai, woh nikaal paate hain hum Anil… Aam logon ka kya hota hoga? Nana Patekar ❤️🙏 https://t.co/mCp83YxvuM
— Unknown Territory (@Beingunknown05) October 13, 2026
Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala had worked together in films like Khamoshi and Agni Sakshi. Nana had even won a National Film Award for his work in Agni Sakshi. The two were filming for Yug Purush when they broke up.
Nana Patekar was married to his wife Neelkanthi during his relationship with Manisha, but he was separated from his wife. Manisha got married to businessman Samrat Dahal in 2010 but the marriage ended after two years.
Nana Patekar was cremated with full state honours amid chants of "Nana Amar Rahe" (Long Live Nana) at Donje farmhouse, Pune, on Thursday. Nana Patekar had said that he would like to be cremated at his farmhouse, according to his associates.
Nana Patekar's son Malhar lit the pyre.
Film celebrities including Jackie Shroff, Sajid Nadiadwala and Anil Sharma were present at his funeral, along with several political dignitaries. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also arrived at the actor's native village to pay his last respects.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to Nana Patekar at Pune airport before leaving for Mumbai.
Nana Patekar had finished shoot of Aneet Padda's Shakti Shalini before he died. He will also be seen in upcomig films like The Confession Of Mary, Vedanta, Eetha and Kuku Ki Kundali.
Also Read | What Irrfan Khan Told Nana Patekar When He Was Very Sick
