Veteran actor Nana Patekar’s estranged wife, Neelkanthi Patekar, was present at his funeral, bringing attention to their unusual relationship. The couple tied the knot in 1978 and had two sons, Durvasa, who died in childhood, and Malhar. Although they had been living separately for 35 years, they never legally divorced. In a recent interview, their son and filmmaker Malhar Patekar recalled his father’s final hours and spoke about why his parents chose to remain married despite living apart.Recalling the circumstances surrounding his father’s death, Malhar told Hindustan Times, “Nana ji was in Goa, and my cousin Prasad who used to look into all his entertainment-related meetings, was sent off by him to Mumbai as he had to shoot for KBC Marathi with Madhuri ji (Dixit) in a day. Also, my other brother, Amay, only left after settling him upstairs in the house,” he said.Malhar also addressed speculation surrounding his parents’ relationship, emphasising that their emotional bond remained intact despite their decision to live separately. He said that outsiders’ perceptions did not reflect the closeness they shared as a family and questioned the tendency to judge relationships based on their social media presence.“When growing up as a kid, I imbibed a lot of strength and resilience from my parents. Also, whatever it looks like from the outside to people doesn’t matter to me; in reality, we as a family were strongly and emotionally connected even my uncle and cousins, for that matter. Mujhe sab ka pyar mila hamesha and that matters.”The filmmaker further spoke about the misinformation circulating about his family and clarified that his father was never alone during his final days. He also highlighted Nana’s remarkable fitness and active lifestyle, despite his age.“Itna sab kuch viral ho raha, woh kitna ghalat hai. Just because we don’t share family pics on Insta, that doesn’t mean we don’t bond. Even after parting ways, my parents were on a good note; 38-39 saal ka bond tha, and things are never what they might look like… The things I read usska jawab yeh hain ke woh akele nahi thhe, kabhi nahin thhe, nor was he unwell because we all never left his side; one of us was always with him. He was very active and doing two and a half hours of working out in a gym; youngsters nahin kar pate, that was his level of fitness.”Nana Patekar passed away at the age of 75 in Goa after suffering a cardiac arrest. The veteran actor was accorded a state funeral.
