Nana Patekar death: Tanushree Dutta reacts, says ‘Definitely Condolences to the Family But…’
Nana Patekar Death: Tanushree Dutta reacts to his demise, offers condolences to his family and says she will share her reaction later.
Veteran actor Nana Patekar passed away in the wee hours of October 8, 2026, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. Several celebrities and fans mourned the loss of the veteran actor. However, his death also brought back memories of his long-running controversy with actress Tanushree Dutta.
Tanushree, who accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment during India’s #MeToo movement in 2018, seemingly reacted to the news of his death through multiple posts on her Instagram Stories. In one of her posts, she appeared to address the controversy and spoke about how she wanted to respond to the news.
Tanushree Dutta’s Reaction to Nana Patekar’s DeathTanushree Dutta seemed to address the elephant in the room and said, “Maine suna hai, I have heard the news. I just… today is my workday. I am going to Lucknow for an event. And I want to focus on that. What an odd day for all this to happen. Because I’m doing a very big event in Lucknow, and it was pretty important for me. I had my entire day planned out. I wanted to do all these Lives and post content. And now I’m worried that in the evening, that’s all the media is going to be interested in is evil dead. So, I will give my reaction once I figure out what kind of reaction I should have. So, definitely condolences to the family but...” and her video cut off midway.
The actress' statement comes years after she first made allegations against Patekar, which became one of the most talked-about controversies of the Indian entertainment industry. Her latest reaction has once again put the spotlight on what happened between the two actors.
What Happened Between Tanushree Dutta and Nana Patekar?The controversy dates back to 2008, when Tanushree Dutta was shooting for the film Horn 'Ok' Pleassss. According to Dutta, she was filming a song sequence when an incident involving Nana Patekar allegedly took place.
Dutta alleged that Patekar, who was not originally supposed to be part of the particular dance sequence, became involved in the shooting. She claimed that he grabbed her arms, came close to her and touched her inappropriately while supposedly showing her dance steps.
She further alleged that Patekar wanted an intimate dance step to be added to the song despite her objections. Dutta said she was uncomfortable with the situation and eventually walked away from the set and went to her vanity van.
The Car Incident Outside the SetThe controversy did not end when Dutta left the shooting. She alleged that when she tried to leave Filmistan Studios with her parents, her car was surrounded by people and was attacked.
Dutta had claimed that she was being intimidated after refusing to participate in the proposed sequence. At the time, visuals of her car being attacked also received attention. She later said that the incident deeply affected her and contributed to her decision to step away from Bollywood.
Dutta had also approached the Cine & TV Artists Association (CINTAA) over the matter in 2008. She claimed that no meaningful action was taken on her complaint at that time.
Tanushree Repeated the Allegations in 2018A decade later, in 2018, Dutta spoke about the incident again as the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum globally and in India.
Her allegations against Patekar became one of the major sparks for India's #MeToo movement. Following her statements, several women from the Indian film and entertainment industries came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour against various individuals. Dutta also alleged that speaking publicly about the incident resulted in professional difficulties and that she faced intimidation and career-related problems after the 2008 incident.
Nana Patekar Denied the AllegationsNana Patekar Death: Tanushree Dutta reacts to the actor’s demise, offering condolences to his family while saying she will decide how to respond. Inside their 2008 controversy, #MeToo allegations and the case’s legal status.
Nana Patekar denied the allegations made against him. He maintained that the claims were baseless and questioned how such an incident could have happened on a film set with a large number of people present. After Dutta renewed her allegations in 2018, an FIR was registered against Patekar and other people associated with the film. The matter was investigated by the Mumbai Police.
What Was the Final Legal Status?In 2019, the Mumbai Police filed a closure report in the case, stating that there was not enough evidence to proceed against Patekar. Dutta challenged the closure report and continued to pursue the matter legally. The case remained part of the public discussion for several years.
In 2025, a Mumbai court dismissed the criminal proceedings related to Dutta's complaint on grounds including the limitation period. The court observed that the allegations related to an incident that had taken place many years earlier and that the criminal complaint had been filed beyond the applicable legal period.
This meant that the allegations were not established as criminally proven against Patekar. Patekar had continued to deny the allegations.
Nana Patekar's death has now brought the old controversy back into public discussion. Tanushree Dutta's reaction has received attention because she was one of the central figures in the controversy that helped bring India's #MeToo movement into the spotlight.
For now, Dutta's statement indicates that she is still deciding how she wants to respond to the actor's death. While she offered condolences to Patekar's family, she also made it clear that she wanted to focus on her professional commitment in Lucknow before giving a fuller reaction.