Bollywood star Nana Patekar passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning at his home in Goa, following a cardiac arrest. He was 75.

The Mahrashtra government has announced a state funeral and tributes have poured in from across the country. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Patekar’s “intensity, individuality and unmistakable presence”, noting that he gave “characters that will be remembered for generations”.

For nearly five decades, Patekar was the kind of actor who didn’t merely play a role; he’d become one with the character. He specialised in playing complex, volatile and morally grey characters — most of which are iconic, despite not being protagonists of their stories. But what made Patekar truly stand out was the manner of his dialogue delivery. His unique vocal cadence, pauses and tone shifts created a distinct signature, which will forever remain inimitable.

Even though Patekar leaves behind a profound cinematic portfolio, some of his performances left an indelible mark across generations of audiences. Let’s take a look at five of those career-defining roles.

Parinda (1989) — Anna

Even though Patekar had been acting in movies since the late 70s, his breakthrough arrived with Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parinda in 1989 in which he played Anna — a gangster known for his quiet and unpredictable stillness. This character won him his first National Film Award and established Patekar as an actor who refused to play villains as mere caricatures. Anna was unusually charming, wounded and terrifying — all at the same time.

Krantiveer (1994) — Pratap Narayan Tilak

This is perhaps the definitive Patekar performance. As an alcoholic cynic who transforms into a crusader against corruption, he became the voice of a nation’s frustration. It was in this movie that Patekar as Tilak delivers the iconic dialogue: “Yeh Musalman ka khoon, yeh Hindu ka khoon… bata, ismein Musalman ka kaunsa, Hindu ka kaunsa (This is a Muslim’s blood, this a Hindu’s… tell me which one is the Muslim’s and which one is the Hindu’s?”

This performance also earned him the National Award for Best Actor.

Ab Tak Chhappan (2004) — Sadhu Agashe

In Ab Tak Chhappan, Patekar plays an encounter specialist wearied by the violence he is forced to witness and, sometimes, inflict as part of his job. He is a cop who has seen too much and feels too little. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Inspector Agashe influenced a whole generation of gritty crime dramas in Indian cinema.

Welcome (2007) — Uday Shetty

This is where we welcome a different Patekar altogether.

Known for playing mostly dark and serious roles, it was a pleasant surprise to see the comic side of Patekar. As Uday Shetty, he played a hilarious gangster desperately trying to marry off his sister.

The same gravity that made Anna in Parinda terrifying made Uday Shetty funny.

Lines from Welcome are still traded like currency among friends and, in fact, have become a huge part of the desi meme scene. For example, “Control Uday… control” has a special spot in the desi meme hall of fame.

Patekar’s chemistry with Anil Kapoor in this movie remains one of Hindi cinema’s great comic pairings.

Natsamrat (2016) — Ganpat Belwalkar

In this Marathi-language film, Patekar played a retired stage actor confronting the difficult reality of old age. As an actor himself, he seemed to channel something deeply personal as Belwalkar. It’s considered to be the finest work of his later career.

During his long acting career, Patekar won three National Film Awards — for Parinda, Krantiveer and Agni Sakshi — as well as the prestigious Padma Shri, bestowed upon him by the Indian government in 2013 for his contributions to the arts and Indian cinema. But awards alone don’t capture what made him singular.

Patekar was an actor who could be frightening without shouting, funny without trying too hard and vulnerable without excessive sentimentality. He leaves behind a legacy that will not easily be matched.