Nana Patekar, 75, who passed away after a cardiac arrest, was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Pune on Thursday evening. His mortal remains were wrapped in the Tricolour, and he was given a gun salute. Earlier, Kaushal posted on social media that Patekar had given him his first break as an action director in ‘Prahaar: The Final Attack’ (1991), a film the late actor himself directed.
Sham Kaushal on his bond with Nana Patekar
Kaushal got emotional as he spoke about his bond with Patekar and told News18, “Prahaar ke baad bhaiyon jaise ek bond bann gaya humaara. He wasn’t just an actor to me, he was my elder brother.” Remembering how Patekar stood by him and his family during health emergencies, he said, “In 1998, he was the one who rushed me to Nanavati when my appendix got ruptured. Mujhe wheelchair pe leke bhaag rahe the. In 2003, when I was detected with cancer and had to undergo a surgery in Nanavati, he was the one in the OT with me till I regained conscious.”
Nana Patekar was a father-figure to Vicky Kaushal and Sunny Kaushal
He went on to say, “The moment he got to know about it, he drove all the way from Pune to be with me and my family. I can never repay what he has done for me.” He also revealed that Patekar was deeply fond of his sons, Vicky Kaushal and Sunny Kaushal, having watched them grow up. “Nana ji would come home ever since Vicky and Sunny started crawling. For them, he was a father-figure. He loved them a lot,” Kaushal told.
Sham Kaushal on seeing Nana Patekar’s mortal remains
The veteran action director said he is yet to come to terms with Patekar’s death, and that seeing his mortal remains last night broke him. “I was in Pune last night. I came back at about 2:30 am. Yeh ek rishta hai jo bhagwaan ne bana ke diya. I kept crying looking at his mortal remains. I can’t explain what I felt at that moment. September 21 ko jahaan pe hum log khade the aur Ganpati ji ki sajaawat ho rahi thi, ussi jagah pe unki shareer rakha hua tha,” he says.“Maybe I’ll feel better when I finally accept that he’s gone. But I haven’t been able to process it yet. I still just can’t believe it. He was a family friend. I last worked with him on Vanvaas but our relationship transcended professional realms. I’ll go back to Pune in the next 2-3 days and sit down with his son and wife. His family has been my family for the past 36 years,” he further continues.
Sham Kaushal on the last time he met Nana Patekar
Recalling the last time they met, Kaushal said, “I met him on September 21. We had lunch together. He had been celebrating Ganpati at his Mumbai home for the last 27–28 years, and I would spend all my time there. Even after he moved the celebrations to Pune five years ago, I made sure I didn’t miss it even once, not even during Covid. We would talk very often. Tabyat unki first class thi. He was so disciplined and that’s why his demise comes as a complete shock. He had set-up a gym at his home and he would urge everyone to exercise and stay fit. Nobody would’ve expected that he would go away even last to last night. Agar unke saath aisa ho sakta hai toh kabhi bhi kisi ke saath bhi aisa ho sakta hai”.Kaushal concluded by thanking well-wishers and the state government for honouring Patekar, saying, “He truly deserved the state honour. We need more people like Nana ji in this world. Kuch bhi hota tha, main bhau ko phone kar deta tha. It’s such a big personal loss for me. His loss has left a big vacuum in my life. I don’t know how I’ll deal with this.”
Nana Patekar’s death: What we know
Nana Patekar breathed his last on October 8, 2026, aged 75, after a cardiac arrest. Reports suggest he was discovered unconscious at his residence and taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors performed CPR continuously in an attempt to save him.
