Mumbai, October 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Veteran actor Anupam Kher has recalled the emotional moment he learned of the death of his longtime friend and fellow actor Nana Patekar, saying he had to continue with his professional commitments despite struggling to process the heartbreaking news.
Kher shared an emotional tribute to Nana on Instagram, recalling that he had just completed a performance in Washington, D.C., and taken his curtain call when his director, Gajendra, informed him that Nana was no more.
“After that, I had to meet people, pose for photographs, smile, sit down for a meal… while trying to absorb what I had just heard. It was terribly difficult,” Kher wrote.
He said that somewhere he felt Nana would have wanted him to complete his work and fulfil his responsibility to the audience that had come to watch the performance.
In a video message, Kher, 71, said he was thousands of miles away from India when he received the news, moments after the audience had given him a standing ovation.
He recalled Nana as a larger-than-life personality with a huge heart, saying that the actor’s anger was, in reality, an expression of kindness. Kher also remembered how Nana would pretend to be angry whenever they met and how he would sing for his friend.
“It’s not fair. Some people, you don’t think that they will ever go. Nana was one of them,” Kher said, adding that he had spent considerable time with Nana and shared a close bond with him.
Kher said Nana would have wanted him to celebrate the performance rather than allow grief to stop him from completing his responsibility.
In his tribute, Kher described Nana as one of the finest actors and human beings in Indian cinema and said he would remember his warmth, hugs and extraordinary performances. He added that he would watch Nana’s films whenever he missed him.
Kher and Nana shared the screen in several notable films, including Mohre, Parinda and Raajneeti.
Nana Patekar died on October 8 at the age of 75. He was reportedly found unconscious at his residence in Goa after experiencing intense chest discomfort.
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