Nana Patekar's last call with Subhash Kale 2 days before death: 'I'll come tomorrow for dubbing'

Dubai: Nana Patekar had one line left to dub on his next film. He had planned to record it in Mumbai this week.

Subhash Kale, co-producer of the upcoming crime thriller The Confession, said he spoke to the actor two days before his death. Nana told him he would be in Mumbai on Friday, October 9, to finish it.

Nana Patekar died early on Thursday, October 8, after a cardiac arrest at his home in Dona Paula, Goa. He was 75.

'It is a very big loss'

Kale told news agency ANI that he heard the news at around 7.30am India time (6am UAE time), as soon as he woke up. He then called Nana's son, Malhar, who confirmed it.

"It is a very big loss, and it is unbelievable… unbelievable," he said. "It is a huge grief, a very big loss for the industry. A very big loss! So sudden…"

One line left to dub

The Confession, also known as The Confession of Mary, is in post-production, and Nana still had a small part of the dubbing to finish.

"Yes, The Confession, which is set to release. We had spoken just the day before yesterday about the dubbing. There was one line that he had to dub," Kale said.

Nana was due in Mumbai that week, both for the dubbing and for a shoot on another film.

"He told me, 'I am coming to Bombay.' He was supposed to come to Bombay tomorrow, and he also had a shoot scheduled in Bombay for a film. So he told me, 'I'll come tomorrow, and we'll do that one line.'"

'We would sing songs'

Kale said the actor always called him first whenever he was in the city.

"Whenever he came to Mumbai, the first call would be to me: 'I am coming to the studio.' We would sit together, have a lot of fun, joke around, sing songs… He was just incredible. What can I say now? I am unable to speak at this moment. I have to leave for Goa now, so…"

What is The Confession about?

The Confession of Mary is directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan. It is produced by Kale and Narendra Hirawat under Camera Take Films Production and NH Studioz.

The film is based on a real murder case from June 1966. The body of Mariyakkutty, a 43-year-old widow and mother of five, was found near a stream in Ranni, Kerala, and a Roman Catholic priest was later arrested in connection with her death.

Alongside Nana, the cast includes Ashish Vidyarthi, Adil Hussain, Gautam Rode, Joy Sengupta, Neha Mahajan, Pankhuri Awasthi and Meenakshi Martins.

The film was selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. A theatrical release date has not been announced.

How Nana Patekar died

Nana Patekar was found unconscious at his home and taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes. He was declared dead at around 5.20am India time, which is 3.50am UAE time.

Malhar confirmed his father's death to local media. Tributes have come from across Indian cinema and public life, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The three-time National Award winner is survived by his wife, Neelakanti, and Malhar.