What makes Nana Patekar’s filmography particularly compelling is the sheer distance between many of his characters. Anna Seth and Uday Shetty could hardly belong to the same actor, yet Patekar makes both convincing. The volatile Pratap Tilak is worlds apart from the restrained Joseph Braganza, while Ganpatrao Belwalkar demands an entirely different emotional vocabulary.Across these performances, one quality remains constant: Patekar’s ability to make audiences feel the character rather than simply watch him.His voice, pauses, expressions and physical presence have become part of his acting language. But perhaps his greatest strength has been his refusal to settle into a single image. He could be frightening without shouting, funny without forcing a joke, and vulnerable without becoming sentimental.That versatility is what has allowed Nana Patekar to remain distinctive across generations — an actor whose most memorable characters are not merely remembered for what they said, but for the feeling they left behind.His ten most defining roles tell the story of a man who never played it safe:Baba, Salaam Bombay! (1988): A small but searing role in Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated film that marked the early arrival of an actor unlike any other.Anna Seth, Parinda (1989): As Anna Seth in Parinda, Patekar created one of Hindi cinema’s most chilling gangsters. A fire-phobic underworld don whose menace came not from brute force but from psychological unpredictability. The role earned him his first National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.Pratap Narayan Tilak, Krantiveer (1994): An angry, alcoholic drifter who finds a cause worth fighting for. Patekar combined fury and vulnerability in a performance that won him the National Film Award for Best Actor.Vishwanath, Agni Sakshi (1996): Patekar explored a darker and more psychologically disturbing space. He played a deeply obsessive, psychologically disturbed husband in a thriller that earned him his third National Film Award.Joseph Braganza, Khamoshi: The Musical (1996): Not all of Patekar’s memorable performances have relied on aggression. In Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical, he played Joseph Braganza, the father of a deaf-mute daughter. The performance revealed a considerably softer side of the actor. His performance earned him a Filmfare Best Actor nomination.Sadhu Agashe, Ab Tak Chhappan (2004) In Ab Tak Chhappan, Patekar returned to the world of crime and policing as Inspector Sadhu Agashe, a celebrated Mumbai’s encounter specialist. The film drew from the life of real officer Daya Nayak. The 2004 crime drama became one of Patekar’s most recognised performancesTabrez Alam, Apaharan (2005): A morally ambiguous political figure in Prakash Jha’s crime drama. Won him the Filmfare Award for Best Villain.Uday Shetty, Welcome (2007): Then came Uday Shetty, the role that introduced Patekar’s comic side to an entirely new generation. A gangster whose seriousness became the joke. His chemistry with Anil Kapoor who played Majnu bhai,  created one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved comic pairings.Rakesh Maria, The Attacks of 26/11 (2013): A portrayal of the real police officer Rakesh Maria against the backdrop of the 2008 terror attacks. The 2013 film dealt with one of the darkest episodes in Mumbai’s recent history, and Patekar approached the role with the gravity the subject demanded.Ganpatrao Belwalkar, Natsamrat (2016): With Natsamrat, Patekar returned to Marathi cinema and to a character that perhaps comes closest to reflecting the relationship between an actor and his art: a celebrated stage actor undone by retirement and family. The Marathi drama showed a quieter, more devastating range rarely seen from him.Nana Patekar’s last film, O Romeo, released earlier this year. The actor, who died in the wee hours of Thursday, is survived by his son Malhar Patekar.