Veteran actor Nana Patekar died at the age of 75 on Thursday, October 8, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa. He was found unresponsive and taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors attempted to revive him with CPR for around 45 minutes. He was declared dead at around 5:20 am, and a post-mortem has been ordered.
Nana’s death marks the end of a career spanning Hindi and Marathi cinema, theatre and some of Indian cinema’s most memorable performances. But long before he became known for his intense roles and powerful dialogue delivery, Nana had experienced a very different life. After his father’s business collapsed, he started working at just 13, painting film posters and walking long distances for a monthly wage of Rs 35.
Nana Patekar started working at 13 after father’s business collapsed
Long before Nana became one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable actors, he had already experienced hardship at an age when most children were still in school. After his father’s business collapsed, he started working when he was just 13.
The actor later recalled those difficult years during an appearance on India TV’s Aap Ki Adalat, hosted by Rajat Sharma. He described a childhood shaped by long walks, little money and the need to work simply to get by.
Nana Patekar used to paint film posters for Rs 35 a month
One of Nana’s early jobs involved painting film posters. He recalled travelling long distances on foot to get to work, walking around 16 km every day, with about 8 km each way.
For the work, Nana was paid just Rs 35 a month. Food was another part of the arrangement, with one meal offered to him during the day.
At 13, those were not simply early work experiences. They were the circumstances in which Nana began learning about life and earning his own money.
‘Those days taught me what no school could’
Looking back at that period, Nana did not describe it simply as a time of deprivation. Instead, he spoke about what those years taught him.
“Whatever those days taught me, I would not have learnt anywhere else. There is no school in this world where those lessons could have been taught,” Nana said on the show.
The experience stayed with him long after his circumstances changed. The long walks, the small payment and the work of painting film posters became part of a childhood very different from the life he would eventually lead as an actor.
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