“Huge loss to Indian film industry”: Asian Games gold medallist Lovlina Borgohain on Nana Patekar’s death

Golaghat (Assam) [India], October 8 (ANI): Indian boxer and Asian Games 2026 gold medallist Lovlina Borgohain paid tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar, who died at the age of 75 on Thursday, saying her dream of meeting the actor remained unfulfilled and describing his death as a huge loss to the Indian film industry.
Patekar died after suffering a severe cardiac arrest in Goa on Thursday. He was taken to Manipal Hospital, where doctors tried to revive him for around 45 minutes, but he could not be saved. Dr Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital, confirmed the news to ANI.
According to Dr Salkar, Patekar had sent a message to a friend around 2:30 am saying that he was not feeling well. The friend later reached his residence at around 4 am.
Borgohain was felicitated in her hometown of Bokakhat by Assam Minister Atul Bora following her gold medal-winning performance at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Speaking to ANI during the ceremony, Borgohain said she was saddened by Nana Patekar’s death, recalling her childhood admiration for him and expressing that her dream of meeting him never came true. She described his passing as a huge loss for the Indian film industry and the country.
“I just got the news a little while ago, right before coming here. We were just talking about this. A very big dream of mine has come to an end. Since childhood, we've been watching him. His nature was a bit different; everyone knows his style was unique, so my dream of meeting him even once didn't come true. I think this is really bad news for the entire country that he is no longer with us. It's a huge loss to the Indian film industry,” she said.
Notably, Borgohain celebrated her 29th birthday in memorable fashion as she defeated China's Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women's 75 kg final to win the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 on October 2. She defeated China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 in the women’s 75 kg final to claim India’s first-ever gold medal in the category.
Borgohain thanked the people of Assam for the warm welcome and love, saying she would continue working hard to win more medals. She also urged young players to work hard and make Assam and the country proud.
“It feels really good to arrive in Bokakhat, meet so many people, and get such a warm welcome since coming to Assam. I'm receiving so much love from the people, and I'll try to keep winning medals like this and keep getting this love. I would just tell all the young players that everyone can get as much love as I'm getting. Just work hard and make our Assam and our country proud,” she said. (ANI)