Satish Shah (1951-2025): Actor with Character

"America main peene ka pani alag aur gutter ka paani alag hota hai (in America, drinking water and gutter water is separate)," says Commissioner D'Mello in awe. Tarneja and company make suitably awed noises. Even if Satish Shah had not done any other work he would have been remembered for his role in Kundan Shah's Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983). The film came to him after doing bit roles seven years after graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India and established him as an actor with great timing, not in the least when playing lead.

Shah was one of several actors who shone on TV and cinema alike, bringing depth and character to every role. Whether it was playing several characters in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (directed by Kundan Shah) or Mr Indravadan Sarabhai in Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, Shah was always careful not to step into vulgarity for laughs. He was a large part of the reason that Doordarshan serials gave the middle class families of the 80s something to look foreard to in the arid landscape of bad cinema.

He straddled art and commerce with ease acting with the best in both. In Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhanuya Le Jayenge (1995) he was the father of the hyper masculine Kuljeet. In Kal Ho Na ho (2003), he was part of the iconic Gujju song with Ketaki Dave, shaking his booty with remarkable effervescence. In Main Hoon Na (2004), his spit was like a missile which everyone made a production of dodging.

His ability to make people laugh while keeping a straight face was legendary. He could be counted on to make the audience feel relaxed and comforted by his mere presence. In Om Shanti Om (2007) his ori baba as director Partho Roy was a hoot.

He retired from acting after the odious Humshakals in 2014, a film that made him question his continuation as a performer. He was too gentle for the rough and tumble of a transactional world where everything was measured in money. A lovely teddy bear of a man, he will be missed.