Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday mourned the death of veteran actor Nana Patekar, remembering him not just as one of Indian cinema’s finest actors, but as a close friend and a committed social worker who had developed a deep connection with Goa.
“He was a good friend.
Recalling his personal association with Patekar, Sawant said the actor would make it a point to call him whenever he was in Goa. Every time he would come to Goa, he would personally call me,” the Chief Minister said.
The loss was made more poignant by the fact that Sawant had been expected to attend an event in Goa where Patekar was present just days ago. “He had attended an event in Goa four days ago. For Sawant, however, Patekar’s association with Goa went far beyond cinema. “He was involved in a lot of social work in Goa through his Nana Patekar Foundation. He was planning to expand his social work in Goa. The Chief Minister also recalled seeing a video of Patekar dancing with young Konkani artistes just two days ago.
I was also supposed to be there but could not go due to other engagements,” Sawant said.
The actor, he said, had invested time and energy in social work through the Nana Patekar Foundation and was looking at expanding that work in the state. It’s sad that he has left us,” Sawant said.
