Veteran Bollywood actor Nana Patekar passed away on 8 October 2026 at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. He was rushed to Manipal Hospital, where doctors reportedly attempted to revive him for approximately 45 minutes before he was declared dead at around 5:20 AM. As tributes poured in, celebrity photographer Atul Kasbekar offered one of the most vivid and personal remembrances — including a strikingly morbid anecdote that captured Patekar's irreverent spirit perfectly.

A Friendship Built on Warmth and Wit

Kasbekar described his bond with the actor as 'wonderfully warm,' noting that their meetings were infrequent but always felt immediate and intimate. 'Whenever we did meet, it felt like we'd met yesterday,' he wrote in a tribute shared on social media. He recalled that Patekar was especially proud that a fellow Maharashtrian had carved out a name in the world of photography, always greeting Kasbekar with warmth 'invariably laced with his trademark acidic wit.'

Kasbekar described the actor in characteristically vivid terms: 'Unpredictable. Intense. Fiercely individualistic. Nana Saheb didn't enter a room. He took possession of it.'

The Farm Near Pune and a Feast for Everyone

One of Kasbekar's most cherished memories was photographing Patekar for his exhibition HONEST: Portraits of Character — possibly among the actor's last formal portrait sessions. Patekar insisted the shoot take place at his farm near Pune. The first question he asked upon Kasbekar's arrival, according to the photographer, was how many people were coming — not out of logistical concern, but to ensure everyone would be fed.

'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,' Kasbekar wrote. He described it as an act of extraordinary generosity from a man who 'could intimidate an entire film set with one raised eyebrow.'

The Firewood Story: Patekar's Dark Humour at Its Best

After the shoot, Patekar gave Kasbekar a tour of his property, including his gym, where he casually performed a dozen tricep dips without a warm-up. Then came the moment that encapsulated Patekar's singular personality: the actor showed his guest a stack of firewood he had set aside specifically for his own funeral pyre.

He had kept the wood dry, Patekar explained, because wet wood produces smoke — and he did not want people crying at his funeral merely because smoke had got into their eyes. 'Only Nana Saheb could turn his own cremation into a comedy routine,' Kasbekar wrote.

A Video Resurfaced, a Legacy Reaffirmed

Following Patekar's death, a video that Kasbekar had shared in April 2026 resurfaced widely. In the clip, the actor — dressed in a white vest and shorts with a gamcha around his neck — effortlessly performs tricep dips in a gym, completing several repetitions before flashing a smile at the camera. Kasbekar had described him then as a 'legend,' and the footage now stands as an unexpected final portrait of a man who seemed indestructible.

Kasbekar concluded his tribute with condolences to Patekar's son Malhar and his family: 'Rest easy, Nana Saheb. There will never be another quite like you.' Nana Patekar leaves behind a cinematic legacy spanning decades, and by all accounts, a deeply human one off-screen as well.