Key Highlights

  • The tribute: Smriti Irani shared a video of Nana Patekar cooking fish fry for her.
  • "Dada": She said that while the world knew him as Nana Patekar, she called him "Dada."
  • Last words: "Aa re Pune, kadhi yeshil?" (Come to Pune, when will you visit?). She replied, "Soon."
  • The loss: Nana Patekar died in Goa on October 8 at the age of 75.

Former Union Minister and actor Smriti Irani has shared one of the most personal tributes to Nana Patekar, who died in Goa on Thursday at 75. Along with her note, she posted a video of the veteran actor cooking fish fry for her with his own hands.

"Dada. That's what I called him, while the world knew him as Nana Patekar. His calls were as random as they were precious. No formalities, no pleasantries. Just that familiar voice — 'Kahan hai re?'" she wrote on Instagram.

Warmth Beneath a Gruff Exterior

Smriti said they rarely photographed their moments together. "Perhaps because one could never imagine there would come a day when photographs would be all I am left with."

She recalled calling him out of the blue, sometimes to put him on the phone with young talent who admired him. "And he would oblige, with all the warmth that lay beneath that unmistakably gruff exterior."

"Guess Was Not Soon Enough"

"Today, among the memories I hold closest is one of him cooking for me. No special occasion. Just Dada, being Dada," she wrote.

Her last conversation with him, she said, still echoes in her ears. "'Aa re Pune, kadhi yeshil?' Come to Pune, when will you visit? I said, 'Soon.' Guess was not soon enough. See you on the other side, Dada."

Why It Matters: The Man Behind the Intensity

On screen, Nana Patekar was known for his fierce intensity. Smriti's video shows a different side: a man who cooked for friends, picked up calls from young admirers and stayed in touch without formalities. It echoes other tributes too. Prakash Raj remembered "the food you cooked," and Boman Irani recalled Nana's constant advice to keep walking.

The Loss

Nana Patekar was found unresponsive at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa, early on Thursday. Doctors at Manipal Hospital tried to revive him with CPR for around 45 minutes, but he was declared dead at 5:20 am, according to reports.

The Bottom Line

Through one simple video, Smriti Irani has shown fans the Nana Patekar his friends knew: warm, generous and always ready to cook, call and care.

Smriti Irani's tribute has been sourced from her official Instagram account.