EXCLUSIVE: “Satish Kaushik had remarked that except for Calendar, all his other famous characters were written by me, be it Pappu Pager, Kunj Bihari, Sharafat Ali, Mutthu Swami,” says Rumy Jafry

By Fenil Seta -

March 10, 2023 - 9:00 AM IST

“I am in shock. I don’t know what to say,” sighed Rumy Jafry when Bollywood Hungama contacted him after the sudden and untimely demise of Satish Kaushik. They had worked together in multiple films and multiple capacities. Rumy Jafry was the writer of films which featured Satish Kaushik as an actor like Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (2002) etc. Rumy also penned Satish Kaushik’s directorial ventures such as Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001) and Vaada (2005). Lastly, Satish acted in Rumy Jafry’s directorial, Gali Gali Chor Hai (2012).

EXCLUSIVE: “Satish Kaushik had remarked that except for Calendar, all his other famous characters were written by me, be it Pappu Pager, Kunj Bihari, Sharafat Ali, Mutthu Swami,” says Rumy Jafry

On this, Rumy Jafry said, “Yes, we did work a lot and also, he was like a family to us. Almost everyday, we would talk on the phone.”

He continued, “He celebrated Holi at Javed Akhtar’s house. Yesterday morning, he took a flight and went to Delhi to meet his friend. He even took a walk after dinner. He was living a disciplined life – having dinner at 9 and going for walks. He told his boy Santosh that he was not feeling well. After midnight, he was taken the hospital. Santosh told me that woh mere saath baithe the aur main kandhe pe hi (he breathed his last).”

When asked since when does Rumy Jafry know him, he replied, “I first met him in Bhopal. He was there visiting a writer whom I also knew.” He continued, “Hence, I know him since the time I had not even shifted to Mumbai. I visited the city for a holiday. I called him and told him ‘Mujhe shooting dekhni hai’. He told me to come to Versova where he was shooting for Mr India (1987). I went there with my elder brother. In other words, I stepped onto a film set for the first time thanks to Satish Kaushik!”

Rumy then stated, “Then when I shifted here, I started doing plays and worked with him. Satish had remarked that except for Calendar, all his other famous characters were all written by me, be it Pappu Pager, Kunj Bihari, Sharafat Ali from Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Jumbo in Gharwali Baharwali, or Mutthu Swami in Saajan Chale Sasural (1996)! He even put a WhatsApp DP about it.”

Rumy Jafry confessed that he was the one who coined quirky names for his character. But he also made it clear, “I used to write characters as per the actor. We used to jam together. I used to tell him, ‘Satish ji, aisa kar le?’. He would also suggest, ‘Aisa kar le?’. This is how we used to finalize. Jo bhi socho, woh usko better tareeke se kar dete the.”

Satish Kaushik was known for his positivity and adorable attitude. Rumy agreed, “He was the most positive and smiling person. The moment he called and his name would flash on the phone, you would have a smile on the face.”

He then opened up, “I couldn’t go to Javed saab’s Holi party. I was down with cough and cold and didn’t want to pass it on to anybody.” When asked when did he meet Satish Kaushik last, he replied, “I recently met him. Every month, we used to meet for dinner without fail. Lekin hum roz phone pe baat karte the.”

Coming back to last night, Rumy Jafry said, “I and my wife were at his home the whole night. We just came home in the morning. We called Anupam Kher and Boney Kapoor and they immediately came down to his house. I couldn’t stop crying, especially seeing his daughter. Both she and her wife also weren’t able to stop their tears.”

He signed off by saying, “Lekin Satish aise the ki unka naam leke ab fir chehre pe muskurahat aa gayi!”

Also Read: Anupam Kher talks about his late actor-friend Satish Kaushik; says, “Friends are closer than your relatives”