The actor shared a throwback from Apaharan and a note recalling his co-star's screen presence, as Maharashtra prepares a state funeral for Patekar in Pune.
Ajay Devgn has added his voice to the tributes pouring in for Nana Patekar, posting a throwback photo from Apaharan along with a short note on Thursday, October 8.
"Not many made us happy, sad and feel anger quite the way Nana did," Devgn wrote. "His presence was powerful, his performances unforgettable, and his absence will now be deeply felt. Rest well, Nana…Om Shanti."
The two had shared the screen in Prakash Jha's 2005 crime drama Apaharan, with Devgn playing Ajay Shastri opposite Patekar's Tabrez Alam. It's remembered as one of the more charged pairings of that era of Hindi cinema, two actors who could both hold a scene without raising their voice.
Patekar died in the early hours of Thursday at 75. Bollywood Hungama reported that he suffered a severe cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa, and was rushed to Manipal Hospital, where he was declared dead at around 5:20 AM IST. His son, Malhar Patekar, confirmed the death.
Devgn's note joins a wave of condolences from across the industry through Thursday, with colleagues recalling the Padma Shri recipient's range on screen, a man who could make an audience laugh, flinch and rage within the same scene.
The practical arrangements are now underway. Patekar's mortal remains are being moved from Goa to Pune, where his last rites will be performed at his farmhouse in Donje, on the city's outskirts. The Maharashtra government has announced a state funeral with full state honours, a mark of how much weight Patekar's name carried in Marathi and Hindi cinema alike.
Family, friends and members of the film fraternity are expected to gather in Pune over the coming day to pay their respects. No official date has been given yet for when the last rites will take place, with the transfer of his remains still underway as of Thursday evening.
For an actor whose career ran from Parinda to Krantiveer to Apaharan and well beyond, the condolences are likely to keep arriving through the week, from co-stars, directors and the audiences who grew up on his films. What's confirmed for now is the state funeral in Pune, and an industry still working out what it lost.
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