Panaji: Panaji Police have registered an Unnatural Death (UD) case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) following the passing of veteran actor Nana Patekar.

According to police records, the 76-year-old actor was declared brought dead at the casualty ward of Manipal Hospital in Bambolim, having been transported from his residence at Ocean Park in Dona Paula. An enquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death is currently under way, headed by Police Sub-Inspector Nitin Naik.

Patekar was cremated with full state honours at his Donje farmhouse in Pune on Thursday evening.

Following the performance of the final rites, his son, Malhar Patekar, addressed members of the press: "A person like Nana Saheb never truly leaves us; his achievements have made him immortal. Secondly, he always believed that everyone should come together and follow a righteous path on a global scale. Thirdly, regarding the future--carrying forward the vision Nana Saheb left behind is how we will shape the life ahead."

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News of the actor's demise emerged on Thursday morning, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the film industry and beyond.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, actor Shah Rukh Khan shared an archival photograph alongside Patekar, remembering the late screen veteran as his "mentor, teacher, critic and friend."

Recounting their initial encounter, Khan noted that he was so awestruck and nervous that he began adjusting his hair, leading Patekar to swat his hand away and tell him, “hero ki tarah Baal mat bana...tu actor hai”.

"When I first met him, out of awe and awkwardness, I fiddled with my hair. He slapped my hand away and said, 'hero ki tarah Baal mat bana...tu actor hai'! He didn't flatter you. He didn't tell you what you wanted to hear. He told you what you needed to hear. That was Nana. Straightforward. Rough, honest and had the most beautiful smile. He always had a strange way of showing affection. He would shout at you first, and then somewhere between the third or fourth insult, you realised you were being hugged. He loved me, and I loved him back. He was a mentor, a teacher, a critic and a friend who beat me and everyone else around him in carrom game after game and relished his victories," Khan wrote.

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Khan expressed regret that they could not spend more time together, wishing they had shared further conversations, debates, cups of tea, and carrom matches.

He highlighted a piece of advice from Patekar that remained with him throughout his career: “hero banne ke chakar mein actor mat khona”—a warning never to lose sight of acting craft while pursuing stardom.

"Nana, your intensity, laughter, madness and love will always stay with us. I just wish we had time to have more conversations, another argument, another cup of tea and a game of carrom. You have left a void not only in the world of cinema but in the hearts of all Indians and the world. All I can say is, I will miss you dearly and carry your words in my heart till the end of time... ' hero banne ke chakar mein actor mat khona'", he added.

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Concluding his tribute, Khan wrote: "May your soul rest in peace Nana and Allah bless you. The Heavens will be blessed to have you... a masterful actor and an unbeatable carrom champion. Love you and miss you dearly!! Too soon, my Hero Actor! RIP,” stating he would treasure the veteran's words permanently.

Patekar is survived by his wife, Neelkanthi Patekar, and their son, Malhar.

ANI