Nana Patekar died on October 8 at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa. The iconic actor’s death has brought Indian cinema
to a standstill, with the veteran actor leaving behind a body of work that spans Marathi theatre, parallel cinema, mainstream Bollywood and some of the most memorable performances in Indian film history. While audiences mourn the loss of one of Indian cinema’s most distinctive performers, Nana Patekar's screen journey is not quite over. Patekar will continue to appear posthumously in at least three upcoming films — Eetha, Shakti Shalini and The Confession of Mary. Each project offers audiences an opportunity to see the actor in a different setting, even as his absence inevitably casts a poignant shadow over their eventual release.
Eetha
Directed by Laxman Utekar, Eetha is a biographical drama based on the life of legendary Maharashtrian Lavani and Tamasha performer Vithabai Narayangaonkar. The film stars Shraddha Kapoor, Randeep Hooda and Anant Joshi, with Nana Patekar also part of the cast. The film is currently scheduled for release on December 4, 2026. Patekar's presence makes Eetha particularly significant as it brings together his connection with Maharashtra's cultural landscape and a story rooted in the state's folk-performance tradition.
Shakti Shalini
Nana Patekar will also be seen in Shakti Shalini, the upcoming horror-comedy from Maddock Films' horror universe. Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the film stars Aneet Padda and Vineet Kumar Singh alongside Patekar. The film is currently expected to arrive on December 24, 2026, although reports have suggested that its release could potentially be pushed to 2027. The project will give audiences a chance to see Patekar in a genre far removed from many of the intense dramatic roles that defined his career.
The Confession of Mary
Perhaps the most internationally significant of the three is The Confession of Mary, directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan. Patekar plays Father Benedict, a priest accused of murdering a woman in a case inspired by the 1966 Mariyakutty murder case in Kerala. The film has already attracted international attention, having been selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Its ensemble cast includes Adil Hussain, Ashish Vidyarthi, Gautam Rode, Joy Sengupta and others.
For fans, these three films will now carry a significance beyond their stories. They will serve as some of the final opportunities to watch Nana Patekar perform on screen. Nana Patekar is dead, long live Nana Patekar.
