Nana Patekar's death: why Goa Police registered an 'unnatural death' case, and his final hours

Key takeaways

• Nana Patekar died aged 75 after a cardiac arrest at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, in the early hours of Thursday, 8 October. He was declared dead at Manipal Hospital at 5:20am.
• Panaji Police have registered an unnatural death (UD) case. Reports describe this as a routine step because he was alone at home and was brought dead to hospital — it is not an allegation of foul play.
• A post-mortem was carried out at Goa Medical College; its findings have not been made public in the reports we read.
• He was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje village near Pune on Thursday night.

What the police case means

According to Hindustan Times, the hospital filed a medico-legal case (MLC) report with police after Patekar was brought dead to its casualty ward. Police then register an unnatural death case in such situations to rule out any foul play. ANI reported that the enquiry is being led by PSI Nitin Naik.

Nothing in the reports we read suggests anything suspicious. The case is a standard legal procedure in India when a person dies outside a hospital and is brought in dead.

His final hours

Dr Shekhar Salkar of Manipal Hospital told reporters that Patekar's caretaker alerted the hospital at around 4:18–4:20am. An ambulance team found him on the floor, unconscious and almost unresponsive, and started CPR, continuing it on the way to hospital. Doctors kept trying for about 45 minutes but could not revive him.

"It was a cardiac arrest, but we do not know the cause," Dr Salkar said, adding that, as far as he had been told, Patekar was a known heart patient on medication.

Farewell near Pune

His body was flown from Goa to Pune on Thursday evening, and thousands of fans gathered at the Donje farmhouse. Many film personalities could not attend because the last rites took place late at night. His son Malhar Patekar said the family went ahead the same day because a long time had already passed since his death, and that carrying forward his father's vision is how the family would shape the future.

A career of nearly five decades

He was also the first Hindi film actor to win Filmfare Awards in all three major acting categories — supporting actor, lead actor and villain. Born on 1 January 1951 in Maharashtra, he worked across Hindi and Marathi cinema and was known for an intense, dramatic screen style. He had a long connection with Goa and kept a home there.

What happens next

• The police enquiry is expected to be closed once the post-mortem report is finalised.
• Watch for any official statement from Goa Police or the family on the post-mortem findings.