Actor Nana Patekar passed away from a cardiac arrest at the age of 75 in Goa. Following his death, actor Tanushree Dutta made a controversial reference regarding an 'evil dead,' which drew heavy backlash on social media and formal condemnation from the All Indian Cine Workers Association. In the wake of this controversy, fellow actor Sandhya Mridul stepped forward to offer indirect support to Dutta by questioning whether a person's history of abuse is nullified by their death.
Without explicitly naming either Dutta or Patekar, Mridul took to Instagram to share her perspective. She wrote that a person does not stop being an abuser simply because they die, nor does the harm they inflicted vanish. Mridul added that survivors live with their experiences for the rest of their lives and reiterated her commitment to always standing alongside them.
In subsequent Instagram Stories, Mridul elaborated that public tributes do not render the reality of abuse untrue or less significant for survivors. She noted that while mourning someone is possible, it is equally vital to acknowledge the individuals who carry lingering pain associated with that person. According to Mridul, demanding universal praise while ignoring survivors risks erasing their truths entirely.
The controversy began when Dutta posted on social media following the news of Patekar's passing, declaring that an evil entity was gone and expressing hope that her own life would move toward better things. While traveling to Lucknow for a professional engagement, Dutta addressed the news in video clips, noting the strange timing and her concern that media coverage would overshadow her work event. She offered condolences to the family before her remarks cut off.
Dutta previously accused Patekar of sexual harassment on the set of the 2009 film Horn 'Ok' Pleassss, a claim that resurfaced publicly during the Me Too movement in 2018. Although an FIR was registered against Patekar—who consistently denied the allegations—the case was closed in 2019 due to insufficient evidence. Subsequently, the Mumbai Andheri Magistrate Court formally dismissed the criminal proceedings in 2025 because the complaint had been filed past the legal limitation period.