India, Oct. 8 -- Veteran actor Nana Patekar died in the early hours of Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Goa.

For decades, Nana was one of Indian cinema's most recognisable actors, known for performances that could be fierce, vulnerable, unpredictable and completely different from one film to another. But away from the screen and the constant attention that came with his stardom, he kept one part of his life particularly private: his marriage to Neelakanti Patekar.

Nana and Neelakanti reportedly met through Marathi theatre. At the time, Neelakanti was working as a bank officer while continuing to explore acting. Their friendship gradually grew into a relationship, and the two got married in 1978, when Nana wa...