Media365
Veteran actor Nana Patekar’s estranged wife Neelkanthi Patekar attended his funeral. The couple married in 1978 and had two sons, Durvasa, who died in childhood, and Malhar. However, they lived separately for 35 years without legally divorcing. In a recent interview, their son, filmmaker Malhar Patekar, opened up about his father’s final hours and revealed why his parents chose to live apart despite remaining legally married.
During a conversation with Hindustan Times, Malhar recalled the day he lost his father. “Nana ji was in Goa, and my cousin Prasad who used to look into all his entertainment-related meetings, was sent off by him to Mumbai as he had to shoot for KBC Marathi with Madhuri ji (Dixit) in a day. Also, my other brother, Amay, only left after settling him upstairs in the house,” he said.
He further added, “Nanaji was someone jo kabhi kisi ko pareshan nahi karte. So, when he felt uneasy, he only texted him (Amay), and it was only after some time that he called him. He reached immediately, but it was late. I got a call from my mum around 5 am while I was in Pune. Uske baad kya hua kuch yaad hi nahi. I felt the world around me stopped.”
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Addressing speculation about his family’s relationship, Malhar Patekar maintained that his parents remained emotionally connected despite living separately and criticised those judging their bond based on social media appearances. “When growing up as a kid, I imbibed a lot of strength and resilience from my parents. Also, whatever it looks like from the outside to people doesn’t matter to me; in reality, we as a family were strongly and emotionally connected even my uncle and cousins, for that matter. Mujhe sab ka pyar mila hamesha and that matters.”
The filmmaker continued, “Itna sab kuch viral ho raha, woh kitna ghalat hai. Just because we don’t share family pics on Insta, that doesn’t mean we don’t bond. Even after parting ways, my parents were on a good note; 38-39 saal ka bond tha, and things are never what they might look like… The things I read usska jawab yeh hain ke woh akele nahi thhe, kabhi nahin thhe, nor was he unwell because we all never left his side; one of us was always with him. He was very active and doing two and a half hours of working out in a gym; youngsters nahin kar pate, that was his level of fitness.”
Nana Patekar died at 75 in Goa after suffering a cardiac arrest. The actor was accorded a state funeral.
