Marathi filmmaker Pravin Tarde has criticised Bollywood celebrities for not attending Nana Patekar's funeral in Pune, saying the late actor's friends should have been present for his last rites. Tarde, known for films such as Deool Band and Mulshi Pattern, expressed his disappointment over the absence of industry colleagues at the funeral.
In an interaction with the media, Pravin shared that despite the limited presence of Bollywood actors, several political personalities and other celebrities, as well as common people including farmers, attended Nana Patekar's final rites held in Pune's Donje village.
“Those whom Nana called his friends should have been there,” he told the Marathi publication, expressing disappointment over poor attendance. “The fact that Bollywood people did not attend the funeral does not diminish Nana's greatness. Bollywood is not bigger than Nana…,” he noted.
Patekar passed away on Oct. 8 in Goa due to an acute heart attack. His funeral was performed with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje, Pune. His son, Malhar Patekar, performed the last rites in the presence of family members, relatives, friends and admirers. A ceremonial guard of honour was accorded to the veteran actor before the cremation.
"In my opinion, a farmer who came from Dhule is much greater than Bollywood heroes. It makes no difference to us. When did Nana ever say that he belonged to Bollywood? Nana always used to say that he was a farmer," Tarde commented on the limited presence of Bollywood actors.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar paid their last respects to the veteran actor after his mortal remains arrived at the Pune airport. They were subsequently taken to Donje, where Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, among others, paid tribute to the departed actor.
Many prominent celebrities, including veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan paid tributes to the late actor on their social media profiles. Jackie Shroff and Suresh Wadkar were among the few prominent film industry figures who attended the funeral in Pune.
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