Satish Shah | |
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 Shah in 2014 | |
| Born | Satish Ravilal Shah (1951-06-25)25 June 1951 Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Died | 25 October 2025(2025-10-25) (aged 74) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
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| Years active | 1976–2025 |
| Spouse | |
| Awards | Full list |
Satish Ravilal Shah (25 June 1951 – 25 October 2025) was an Indian actor and comedian, best known for his iconic comic roles in films such asJaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983),Main Hoon Na (2004),Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003),Fanaa (2006), andOm Shanti Om (2007) and television series such asYeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), andSarabhai vs Sarabhai (2004) for which he won theITA Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role and theIndian Telly Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role.
In 2008, he co-judgedComedy Circus alongsideArchana Puran Singh. In 2015, he was appointed a member of theFilm and Television Institute of India (FTII) society.[1]
Satish Shah was born inMumbai,Maharashtra, on 25 June 1951. His father's family was fromMandvi,Gujarat.[2] He did his schooling at New Era School in Mumbai and then completed his graduation fromSt. Xavier's College, Mumbai.[3] He is an alumnus of theFilm and Television Institute of India inPune, where he received formal training in acting.[4]
Shah graduated fromFilm and Television Institute of India in 1976.[5] He was known for his roles in the 1984 sitcomYeh Jo Hai Zindagi directed byKundan Shah andManjul Sinha, where he played 55 different characters in 55 episodes, and the character of Prakash in the television serialZee TV - Filmy Chakkar in 1995, who he played in 50 episodes.[6][7] He also starred in the 2004 television showSarabhai vs Sarabhai as Indravadhan Sarabhai. In bothFilmy Chakkar andSarabhai vs Sarabhai, his pairing was oppositeRatna Pathak Shah.[8] In 1997, he played the lead role in Ghar Jamai for 80 episodes along with the serialAll The Best with Swaroop Sampat for 109 episodes for DD2.[citation needed]
He played the role of Municipal Commissioner D'Mello in the 1984 movieJaane Bhi Do Yaaro directed byKundan Shah. Considered to be primarily a comedian, he has portrayed various character roles in his career throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, starting with his first movieArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan in 1978. Apart from his career in Bollywood, he was also a judge of theComedy Circus.
Satish Shah married designer Madhu Shah in 1982. The couple had no children however.[9]
In January 2023, while on a trip to UK, Shah posted a tweet onX, describing the staff atHeathrow Airport questioning on how Shah could afford a first class seat, to which he replied with a proud smile "because we are Indians".[10] While several twitter users praised Shah for standing up to this remark, many twitter users criticized the racist behavior of the airport staff, and the officialX account ofHeathrow Airport responded to Shah's tweet with an apology of the encounter.[11]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Satish Shah was diagnosed withCOVID-19. He was admitted toLilavati Hospital in Mumbai on 20 July and discharged on 28 July after making a full recovery.[12]
On 25 October 2025, Shah died of cardiac arrest at the age of 74.[13] He was cremated the same day, and numerous celebrities attended his last rites[14][15] His co-stars and producers ofSarabhai vs Sarabhai sang the title song of the show as a tribute to him during his cremation.[16]
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| Title | Year | Role | Note | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi | 1984–1986 | Various characters | [33] | |
| Filmi Chakkar | 1993–1995 | Prakash Jaiswal | [34] | |
| P.A. Sahab | 1994 | P.A. Sahab | [35] | |
| Biwi Toh Biwi Salla Re Salla | 1996-1997 | Dr. Raj Sethi | [36] | |
| Ghar Jamai | 1997–1998 | Vishamber Mehra | [37] | |
| Top 10 | 1999 | Host/presenter | [38] | |
| Sarabhai vs Sarabhai | 2004–2006; 2017 | Indravadan Sarabhai | [39][40] | |
| Comedy Circus | 2007–2008 | Judge | ||
| United Kacche | 2023 | Jogu Chimanlal Patel |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Filmfare Awards | Best Performance in a Comic Role | Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro | Nominated |
| 2005 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Best Actor in a Comic Role | Sarabhai vs Sarabhai | Won |
| Indian Telly Awards | Nominated | |||
| 2006 | Won | |||
| 2017 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Best Actor - Web Series | Won |
In 2026, he has been awarded withPadma Shri by the government of India.[41]
Made in 1976, the comedy features Satish Shah, Rakesh Bedi and Suresh Oberoi among others.
Here, he is helped by Flower (Satish Shah in a drag queen avatar), the son of a childhood friend.
Here they find Satish Shah, who, despite Ms Sherawat's stunningly statuesque self, steals the show. His Fakirchand Mansukhani is a delightful take on Hackman's grizzled old fruit, and is a superbly restrained performance. It even manages to make us laugh despite Rekha crowding around him, trying way too hard.
veteran Satish Shah looks as fat and sweet as ever.
Apart from Amitabh's friendly ghost and Aman's prankster Banku, the rest of the cast comprises of Juhi as Banku's mother, an easy-going, fun loving person; Banku's principal Irani (Satish Shah), who is extremely fond of students' lunch boxes; and Anthony (Rajpal Yadav), the servant.
Even the great Satish Shah -- who has aged remarkably well, casting directors across the nation -- shows up as an ill-conceived neo-Nazi warden who is, unforgivably, slapped around by these morons. Ugh.
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