My dear friend Nanaji is no longer with us: Rajinikanth mourns Nana Patekar

Actor Rajinikanth paid tribute to Nana Patekar after the veteran actor's death, recalling him as a dear friend. His message has revived memories of their Kaala collaboration and the admiration they expressed for each other.

In Short

• Rajinikanth paid emotional tribute to Nana Patekar, who died at 75
• They co-starred in the 2018 film Kaala as rivals
• Rajinikanth praised Nana's performance as a top antagonist at Kaala audio launch

Superstar Rajinikanth has paid an emotional tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar, who died at the age of 75 due to cardiac arrest on Thursday. Remembering his Kaala co-star and friend, Rajinikanth expressed his disbelief on X over Nana’s death and offered his condolences to the actor’s family and loved ones.

“I can’t believe my dear friend Nanaji is no longer with us. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace,” Rajinikanth wrote.

Nana Patekar suffered a severe cardiac arrest at his residence in Dona Paula, Goa, early Thursday morning. He was found unconscious and rushed to Manipal Hospital, where doctors attempted to revive him with cardiac massage and CPR for around 45 minutes to an hour. Despite the medical team's efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at around 5:20 am.

The two actors worked together in Pa Ranjith’s 2018 film Kaala, in which Nana played the formidable antagonist Haridev Abhyankar, popularly known as Hari Dada. The collaboration also gave Rajinikanth an opportunity to work with an actor he held in high regard.

At the audio launch of Kaala in Chennai in May 2018, Rajinikanth spoke at length about Nana and singled him out while discussing some of the most memorable antagonists he had faced during his career.

“There are two antagonists who I found to the best. One is Mark Antony (played by Raghuvaran) in Baashha and Nilambari (played by Ramya Krishnan) in Padayappa. Now, after them, it is going to be Nana Patekar’s Haridada in Kaala,” Rajinikanth said at the event.

Rajinikanth also said he was “thrilled” to have Nana on board and praised his performance in the film. He said Nana had done a “great job” and that he “thoroughly enjoyed” watching him on screen.

Their equation extended beyond the film as well. In January 2018, a few months before the Kaala audio launch, Nana spoke about Rajinikanth’s decision to enter politics. Nana described Rajinikanth as a “simple and clean man” and said he had concerns about his friend entering politics.

“I told him that the people who love and worship you today, may question you once you join politics, because you are giving them that right,” Nana said in an interview with Mid-Day. He also described Rajinikanth as someone who was too simple and honest for the rough-and-tumble of politics.

Nana’s comments came after Rajinikanth announced his political entry on December 31, 2017. While Nana himself had no plans to enter politics, he said he was worried that Rajinikanth’s image as an actor could be affected by the realities of political life.

The two actors subsequently shared the screen in Kaala, with Rajinikanth playing Karikaalan, the powerful leader of a Dharavi community, and Nana portraying the politician Hari Dada, who attempts to take control of the land.

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