Smriti Irani shares video of Nana Patekar cooking for her in emotional farewell post

Smriti Irani remembered Nana Patekar as "Dada" in an emotional tribute, recalling a last conversation that she said "still echoes" in her ears. She also shared a video of Patekar cooking for her.Smriti Irani shared a tribute for Nana Patekar. (Photos: PTI/Smriti Irani/X)New Delhi,Oct 8, 2026 13:45 ISTFormer Union minister and television actor Smriti Irani paid an emotional tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar, sharing a video of him cooking for her and recalling their final conversation, which she said “still echoes” in her ears.Patekar died at 75 at his home in Goa on October 8. Remembering him as “Dada”, Irani shared memories of their bond and the last time they spoke, when Patekar asked her when she would visit him in Pune.Irani wrote about the warmth and informality of their relationship. “His calls were as random as they were precious. No formalities, no pleasantries. Just that familiar voice – ‘Kahan hai re?’” she wrote.She also remembered how they rarely photographed their time together. “Perhaps because one could never imagine there would come a day when photographs would be all I am left with,” Irani wrote. Irani recalled calling Patekar unexpectedly and sometimes putting him on the phone with young people who admired his work. According to her, he would always oblige, showing the warmth she said existed beneath his “unmistakably gruff exterior”.Among the memories she holds closest is one of Patekar cooking for her. “No special occasion. Just Dada, being Dada,” she wrote. But it was their final conversation that appeared to weigh most heavily on her.“Our last conversation still echoes in my ears,” Irani wrote, before recalling Patekar asking her in Marathi, “Aa re Pune, kadhi yeshil?”, asking when she would visit Pune.The post also accompanied a video that showed Patekar cooking fish for Irani.“I said, ‘Soon.’ Guess was not soon enough,” she wrote. Concluding her tribute, Irani wrote: “See you on the other side, Dada.”See the post here:Dada. That’s what I called him, while the world knew him as Nana Patekar. His calls were as random as they were precious. No formalities, no pleasantries. Just that familiar voice – “Kahan hai re?” We barely ever photographed our moments together. Perhaps because one could never imagine there would come a day when photographs would be all I am left with. I would call him out of the blue, sometimes just to put him on the phone with young talent who admired the legend. And he would oblige, with all the warmth that lay beneath that unmistakably gruff exterior. Today, among the memories I hold closest is one of him cooking for me. No special occasion . Just Dada, being Dada. Our last conversation still echoes in my ears. “Aa re Pune, kadhi yeshil?” Come to Pune, when will you visit? I said, “Soon.” Guess was not soon enough. See you on the other side, Dada.— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 8, 2026Nana Patekar leaves behind a career spanning some of Hindi cinema’s most memorable performances. His filmography includes critically acclaimed films such as Parinda, Krantiveer, Agni Sakshi, Ab Tak Chhappan and Natsamrat, alongside popular comedies such as Welcome and Welcome Back.His performances across genres made him one of Indian cinema’s most distinctive actors.- Ends