Naseeruddin Shah’s heartfelt tribute to late actor Satish Shah

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has penned a heartfelt tribute to his longtime friend and co-star Satish Shah, who passed away on Saturday in Mumbai at the age of 75. Remembering his Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) co-star, Shah described him as a man with an “infectious sense of humour” who could “light up any room with his laughter and warmth.”

In his emotional note, Shah reflected on how the Hindi film industry unfairly typecast a versatile actor like Satish Shah, limiting his vast range to the label of a comedian.
“Of course, his passing is a loss, and he'll be sorely missed. But I consider a bigger loss to be the fact that despite, or because of, his dazzling performance gifts, his acute perception of people, his understanding of the acting process and his impeccable timing, he let himself get categorised as a comedian and stayed stuck there, seemingly content with it,” Shah wrote.

He admitted that he often wondered why Satish appeared content with being pigeonholed and never fought against it. Referring to the Hindi film industry as Follywood, Shah remarked, “I often wonder if it serves some dark purpose of Follywood to never let actors escape typecasting. But I've also always wondered why some people who are hugely entertaining in real life seldom make actors of depth. Several cases seem to testify to that.”

Naseeruddin Shah went on to note that an actor of Satish Shah’s calibre had much more to offer cinema but chose instead to embrace life’s simpler pleasures. “I always felt he was doing an injustice to his enormous talent by playing safe. But that is what he chose to do. He savoured the good life, and he lived it to the full,” he wrote.

Recalling their first meeting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Shah shared, “I first noticed Satish (a year junior) in the cricket nets at FTII and was astounded by his skill at the game and his rotund but amazingly agile body.”

The two actors shared screen space in the cult classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, though it was Shah’s wife, Ratna Pathak Shah, who eventually developed a close friendship with Satish during their time together on the beloved sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.
“As it happened, he and Ratna formed a memorable partnership on-screen and forged an unbreakable bond of friendship off it, and she credits him for initiating her into comic acting,” Shah added.

The three-time National Award-winning actor confessed that Satish Shah’s death hit him deeply — not only because he lost a dear friend of five decades, but also because it served as a reminder of mortality. “His passing away was also a grim reminder that we, of that generation, are all on borrowed time now,” he reflected.

Shah concluded his tribute with a poignant farewell, expressing his wish to reunite with his friend once more — “in the theatre up in the sky.”