Nana Patekar’s death has left the film industry mourning the loss of an actor known as much for his intense screen presence as for his unmistakable personality. The actor passed away on October 8 at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Photographer Atul Kasbekar remembered Nana in an emotional Instagram post, sharing several personal anecdotes about their interactions, including one particularly striking memory involving the actor’s own funeral.Sharing a monochrome photograph of Nana, Atul wrote, “Nana Saheb. What a man. What a loss. I shared a wonderfully warm relationship with Nana Patekar. We didn’t meet often, but whenever we did, it felt like we’d met yesterday.” Describing the late actor, he added, “Unpredictable. Intense. Fiercely individualistic.”Atul recalled visiting Nana’s farmhouse in Pune for a photography assignment and being struck by the warmth with which the actor treated his entire crew. Remembering the meal they were served, he wrote, “Every assistant, spot boy and driver was seated in his main dining area, with Nana Saheb personally walking around serving extra rotis and helpings of his famous mutton,” and added, “No hierarchy. No fuss. Just extraordinary generosity from a man who could intimidate an entire film set with one raised eyebrow.”The photographer also remembered Nana taking him around his property and stopping by his gym, where the actor surprised him with his physical strength. “Stone cold. No warm-up. Show-off!” Atul wrote while recalling the video of Nana doing a dozen tricep dips, which had gone viral at the time.But it was another moment from that visit that Atul remembered most vividly. Nana showed him a pile of firewood that he had already kept aside for his own funeral. Recalling the actor’s explanation, Atul wrote, “And then, in a moment of spectacularly morbid humour, showed me a stack of firewood he’d prepared for his own funeral. He’d kept it dry, he explained, because wet wood smokes, and he didn’t want people crying at his funeral merely because the smoke got into their eyes! Only Nana Saheb could turn his own cremation into a comedy routine,”Atul described Nana’s passing as a “punch in the guts” before signing off with, “Rest easy, Nana Saheb. There will never be another quite like you.”Meanwhile, Nana Patekar’s final journey will take place in Pune, where his last rites are scheduled to be performed at his farmhouse in Donje, on the outskirts of the city. Ganesh Thorat, CEO of Patekar’s Naam Foundation, which works in the area of water conservation, said, “The mortal remains will be brought (to Pune) by around 5 PM, and later will be kept for the last ‘darshan’. The last rites will be performed on the premises of his farmhouse.”The actor’s last rites will be held with state honours.
