Who is Nana Patekar's son Malhar?: From a role in Prahaar to The Attacks of 26/11

Dubai: Nana Patekar spent more than four decades in front of the camera. His son Malhar has mostly stayed away from it.

The veteran actor died early on Thursday, October 8, at his home in Dona Paula, Goa, at the age of 75. Doctors at Manipal Hospital said he died at around 5:20am India time (3:50am UAE time) after a severe cardiac arrest.

Malhar was among the first family members to confirm his death. He has also confirmed that the last rites will be held at the family's farmhouse near Pune.

So who is Malhar Patekar, and what does he do?

Who is Malhar Patekar?

Malhar is the son of Nana Patekar and his wife, Neelakanti, a Marathi actress. The couple married in 1978 and had two sons. Their elder son, Durvasa, died aged about two after an illness, which left Malhar as their only surviving child.

Nana and Neelakanti lived separately for many years but never divorced, according to reports.

Malhar went to Saraswati Mandir High School in Mumbai and later earned a degree in commerce, according to reports.

His work in film

Malhar's first screen credit came when he was a child. He appeared in Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991), a military drama that his father directed and starred in. Nana trained with the Maratha Light Infantry to prepare for his role as an army officer in the film.

As an adult, Malhar has worked mostly behind the camera. Reports say he worked as an assistant director on Ram Gopal Varma's The Attacks of 26/11, the 2013 film about the Mumbai terror attacks in which Nana played the city's joint police commissioner.

His second acting credit is Little Godfather, a Hindi film released in 2014.

Reports also say he set up a production company called Nana Saheb Production House, named after his father.

A life away from the spotlight

Malhar rarely gives interviews or makes public appearances, and he has a limited presence on social media.

He has occasionally been photographed with his father at events, but he has not followed the path of other star children who launched acting careers with big studio releases.

The legacy his father leaves behind

Away from films, Nana Patekar was known for his work with farmers in Maharashtra.

In September 2015, he and fellow Marathi actor Makarand Anaspure set up the Naam Foundation to support drought-hit farming families. Before the foundation launched, the two actors had given Rs15,000 (about Dh620) each to 113 families in Vidarbha who had been affected by the drought.

The foundation went on to raise funds for families and for water conservation projects in rural Maharashtra.

No announcement has been made about the future of the foundation or about Malhar's plans.

Last rites in Pune

Nana Patekar will be cremated with full state honours, the Maharashtra government has announced. Maharashtra's Cultural Affairs Minister, Ashish Shelar, said the decision reflected his contribution to Marathi and Hindi theatre and cinema.

According to Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi, the last rites will be held at Patekar's farmhouse in Donje village near Pune. Reports say the funeral is expected at around 4pm India time, which is 2.30pm UAE time.