Nana Patekar's last film The Confession of Mary was down to a line or two of dubbing

Nana Patekar died on October 8, and the producers of his final film, The Confession of Mary, say very little of his work on it was left to finish.

Producer Shreyans Hirawat said the actor had completed his entire shooting schedule and most of his dubbing. Only a few small dialogue changes were pending. Co-producer Subhash Kale put it at a single line. He said Patekar had told him he would come to Mumbai the next day to record it, and that he also had a shoot for another film planned in the city.

Ananth Mahadevan directed the film, and it has already screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Patekar could not make the long trip. Hirawat said they spoke a week or two ago, when the actor was eager to hear how audiences had reacted and was happy to learn the screening went well.

That call also covered a sequel to Tirangaa (1993). Hirawat holds the rights to Tirangaa, Krantiveer and Kohram, and said Patekar was full of ideas. Before hanging up, the actor asked him to visit once he was back in Mumbai, a meeting Hirawat had planned for Navratri. "He sounded absolutely hearty and healthy," the producer said.

Hirawat said the team will find a way to finish what little remains. For now, he added, the film's technical and commercial side matters far less than the loss of the man.

In the makers' synopsis, Patekar plays Father Benedict, a priest who will not reveal a murdered woman's confession and becomes the first priest to be sentenced to death. Reports say two more completed films with him, Eetha and Shakti Shalini, are also waiting for release.