Family members, friends and colleagues from the film and television industry bid a tearful farewell to veteran actor Satish Shah, who was cremated here on Sunday (October 26, 2025).
Industry veteran Naseeruddin Shah, his wife Ratna Pathak Shah, who was also Mr Satish Shah’s co-star in “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai”, other cast members of the fan-favorite show and members of the film fraternity attended the final farewell.
Mr Satish Shah died on Saturday (October 25) due to kidney disease at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, Madhu Shah, a designer.
The last rites were performed at Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle by Ramesh Kadtala, personal assistant of Mr. Satish Shah.
“He [Ramesh] has become like him [Shah] Son. He has been with this couple for almost 40 years. This is a personal loss for them. He has dedicated his entire life to them. Now, he has to take care of Madhu YesWho is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She doesn’t recognize people. he realized it only this morning [Mr. Shah’s demise]Filmmaker Ashok Pandit told PTI.
Mr Satish Shah’s co-stars in “Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai”, actors Rupali Ganguly and Rajesh Kumar got emotional while bidding him a final goodbye.
Mr. Satish Shah played the role of Indravadhan Sarabhai, the witty and lovable head of the Sarabhai family, who made everyone laugh with his witty one-liners in the show.
Others from the “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai” team including actors Sumeet Raghavan, Anang Desai, Paresh Ganatra, producer JD Majethia, writer-director Aatish Kapadia and actor-director Deven Bhojani also attended the funeral.
The actor’s close friends and colleagues, Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Swaroop Sampat, Suresh Oberoi and Poonam Dhillon were also present.
Other members of the film fraternity including Neil Nitin Mukesh, Dilip Joshi, Farah Khan, Jackie Shroff, Ali Asgar, Tiku Talsania, Sudhir Pandey, Sharat Saxena and Avtar Gill also attended the funeral.
In a video on social media, Mr Majethia, writer-director Aatish Kapadia, actor-director Deven Bhojani, Ms Rupali Ganguly, Mr Raghavan, Rajesh Kumar and Paresh Ganatra were seen paying tribute to the late actor with the title song of “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai”.
Mr Kumar took to social media to post the video and wrote, “Last goodbye… #Sarabhai would not have been complete without the song…Indu Kaka Zindabad, did you hear…I also tried to sing?” Mr Majethia said it was his way of “celebrating” Mr Shah.
“We wanted to pay tribute to him in our own way. So, when almost everyone left the crematorium, we sang this (the show’s title track) for him. I think he would have liked it that way. He is someone who should be celebrated,” Mr Majethia said. PTI.
According to Mr Majethia, the late actor had undergone kidney transplant mainly to get better and take care of his ailing wife Madhu, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.
“She has realized it (Mr Shah’s demise). Initially, she had no idea. She said, ‘He is inside, and he will come out in some time.’ We said, ‘Okay, we’re waiting.’ For a long time. It is sad,” Mr Majethia said, adding that they would all remain connected with Madhu.
The actor-producer recalled that Mr. Satish Shah would often talk about his wife and her health.
He said, “Her condition has worsened. I remember Satish ji always used to say, ‘I am not worried about anything else except Madhu’s health, and I am not worried about anything else in life.’
A graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Mr. Satish Shah first appeared in small roles in films like “Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan”, “Gaman” and “Umrao Jaan”.
Later, he created a distinct identity with his acting in films and TV shows like ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’, ‘Malamaal’, ‘Hero Hiralal’, ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’, ‘Filmi Chakkar’, ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’, ‘Saathiya’, ‘Main Hoon Na’, ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ and the sitcom ‘Sarabhai Vs’. Sarabhai”, among others.
published – October 26, 2025 08:39 PM IST