“Satish Shah… my first job in Mumbai was as a production assistant, and that’s where I met him for the first time,” recalls Pavan Malhotra with deep fondness. “My next job was with Saeed Mirza’s Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, where I was the production manager. Naseeruddin Shah and Satish Shah were playing lawyers — partners. And then I was an assistant on Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.”
“That was the serial which really showcased Satish Shah’s versatility. Everyone already knew he was one of the finest actors we had. But Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi was something else — every episode, he played a different character. There were about a hundred episodes, and imagine, in almost everyone, he was someone new. And he pulled it off beautifully.”
“In films, I feel Satish Shah didn’t get his due. He got stamped as a comedian. And you know, when you do commercial cinema, what you need is a meaty role — a scene where you can truly perform. Take Main Hoon Na, for example. His role wasn’t lengthy, but it was unforgettable — that professor whose words came with a shower of saliva,” Pavan laughs. “I found it so funny the way he did it. Just a few months ago, I was channel-surfing and saw that scene again… I stood there and laughed and laughed.”
“We hadn’t seen Satish Shah on screen for quite some time. Towards the end, I think he didn’t have much work either. We weren’t close friends, but we were very good acquaintances. He was a wonderful actor — and one quality I really admired was how open he was on set.”
“When we were shooting Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, I noticed that anyone — no matter who — could make a suggestion to him. And he would always say, ‘Haan haan, bol bol, bol bol.’ His approach was: listen to everyone, because you never know where an interesting idea might come from. Ultimately, you do what you feel is right — but first, listen.”
“He’s no more now. Bhagwan unki aatma ko shanti de, swargwaas ho. He had a good innings. But I still feel the industry should have used him more. He could have done even better, not because he lacked talent — never that — but because he deserved more opportunities. But then, as I always say, jo hisse mein hai, wohi milta hai. Anyway… Om Shanti.”
Also Read: Veteran actor Satish Shah passes away at 73
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