Bollywood plunged into grief for the third time during the current week, as veteran actor Satish Ravilal Shah died on Saturday after battling with a kidney ailment.
After the sad deaths of veteran comedian Asrani and legendary adman Piyush Pandey, who had close links with Bollywood earlier in the week, Satish Shah — who shot to fame through his iconic movie Jaane Bhi Do Yaaon (1983) and unforgettable serials Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984-1986) and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai — breathed his last at the Hinduja Hospital.
Satish Shah, who had undergone a kidney transplant some time back, fell ill on Saturday morning. He was rushed to Hinduja Hospital at Mahim for treatment. He, however, failed to survive.
He was 74 and is survived by his wife, Madhumita Shah, a designer. Sharing the news of Shah’s death, PD Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre said, “Earlier today, the hospital received an emergency call regarding Mr Shah’s health. An ambulance with a medical team was immediately sent to his residence, where he was found to be unresponsive. CPR was started in the ambulance itself and continued on arrival at the hospital. Despite the best efforts of our medical team, Shah could not be revived.”
“I would like to share a sad news with you. Our friend, a great actor, Satish Shah, has passed away due to kidney failure. A while ago, he suddenly fell ill at home. He was taken to the Hinduja Hospital, Shivaji Park. He has passed away,” his close associate and film-maker Ashoke Pandit said in a video shared on Instagram.
His last rites will take place at Pawan Hans’s crematorium at Vile Parle in north-west Mumbai on Sunday afternoon. Satish Shah will be remembered for his comic roles in television shows like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Ye Jo Hai Zindagi and films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Main Hoon Na. Born into a Kutchhi family in Mumbai on June 25, 1951, Shah hailed from Mandvi town in Gujarat.
He was known for his roles in the 1984 sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, directed by Kundan Shah and Manjul Sinha, where he played 55 different characters in 55 episodes. Satish Shah, beloved actor of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro fame, leaves behind legacy After graduating from St Xavier’s College in Mumbai, Shah joined the Films & Television Institute of India, Pune, where he made lots of friends, and actor Raza Murad.
Starting with small roles in films like Bhagwan Parshuram (1970), Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan (1978), he acted in memorable films like Gaman (1979), the national award-winning musical mega-hit, Umrao Jaan and Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai (both, 1981), and the super hit Shakti (1982).
Sitcoms like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984-1986), in which he played multiple characters, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, in which he played the role of Indravadan Sarabhai, and the film “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron” (1983), in which he did a memorable role as a bumbling municipal commissioner, brought him considerable fame.
His performances in television serials like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Filmy Chakkar (1995) — in which he acted with Ratna Pathak Shah — were well-appreciated
During his career, he acted in films like Mohan Joshi Haazri Ho (1984), Gharwali Bharwali (1987), Malamaal and Ardh Satya (both 1988), Anjaam (1989), Hatim Tai (1990), Sainik (1993), Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Akele Hum, Akele Tum (both 1995), Judwaa, Ghulam-E-Mustafa and Hero No. 1 (all 1997), Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999), Kaho Na Pyar Hai and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustan (both 2000), Kal Ho Na Ho (2003), Masti (2004), Fanaa (2006), Om Shanti Om (2007), Khichdi: The Movie (2010), and many more.
“Satish Shah Sir always brought a smile to my face both on screen and off the screen. Ishq Vishk and Main Hoon Na were special because of his presence. His humour and vibrancy will always live in my memory,” Shah’s co-star in Main Hoon Na Amrita Rao said.