Nana Patekar's son Malhar recalls his father's last hours and his parents' bond

Filmmaker Malhar Patekar has spoken about the last hours of his father, veteran actor Nana Patekar, and about why his parents stayed married while living apart for 35 years.

Nana Patekar died in Goa at 75 after a cardiac arrest and was given a state funeral. His estranged wife, Neelkanthi Patekar, attended it. The two married in 1978 and had two sons, Durvasa, who died as a child, and Malhar. They never legally divorced.

In a recent interview, Malhar explained that the actor was in Goa at the time. Nana had sent Malhar's cousin Prasad, who looked after his entertainment meetings, to Mumbai for a KBC Marathi shoot with Madhuri Dixit. Another brother, Amay, left only after settling him upstairs at the house.

Malhar said his father never liked troubling anyone. When he felt uneasy, he first sent Amay a text and called only later. Amay rushed back, but it was too late. Malhar was in Pune when his mother called him around 5 am, and he said it felt as if the world had stopped.

He also pushed back against the claims spreading online. His father was never alone and was not unwell, he said, because someone from the family was always with him. Nana still worked out in the gym for two and a half hours, a level of fitness Malhar said young people struggle to match.

On his parents, Malhar said they stayed on good terms after parting ways and shared a bond of 38 to 39 years. Not posting family photos on Instagram, he added, does not mean the family is not close. "Mujhe sab ka pyar mila hamesha and that matters."