Hema Malini says she missed Nana Patekar's call a week before his death

Hema Malini has said she missed a phone call from Nana Patekar roughly a week before the veteran actor died, because she was away travelling at the time.

Patekar, 75, died after a cardiac arrest at his home in Goa. Speaking at an event, Hema said the two had talked a few days earlier, and that another call came about a week back which she could not pick up. The news of his death left her shocked, she said, adding that Hindi and Marathi cinema had lost a great performer who was "an institution for acting".

She also posted a tribute on X, calling him an icon of the industry and pointing to his unique talent. Her post praised his tireless work with the Naam Foundation for farmers and the underprivileged.

Hema wrote that she loved watching his Hindi and Marathi films and admired how differently he approached each role. Patekar, she recalled, had once named her his favourite actress of classic cinema.

His last rites were held with full state honours at his farmhouse in Pune, where his son lit the funeral pyre.