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).
The last farewell was attended by industry veteran Naseeruddin Shah, his wife Ratna Pathak Shah who was also Mr. Satish Shah’s co-star in “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai”, other actors from the fan favorite show and members of the film fraternity.
Mr Satish Shah died on Saturday (October 25) at the age of 74 after suffering from kidney disease. He is survived by his wife Madhu Shah, a designer.
The last rites were performed by Mr. Satish Shah’s personal assistant Ramesh Kadatala at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Villa Parle.
“He (Ramesh) was like his (Shah’s) son. He has been with the couple for almost 40 years. It is a personal loss for him. He dedicated his whole life to them. Now he has to take care of Madhu ji who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She does not recognize people. It was only this morning that she realized that the film’s producer (Mr. Shah Ashdit told PTI Panok),” the film’s producer Ashdit told PTI Panok.
Actors Rupali Ganguly and Rajesh Kumar, who portrayed Mr. Satish Shah in the movie “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai”, got angry as they parted ways with him for good.
Mr. Satish Shah essayed the role of Indravadhan Sarabhai, the witty and lovable patriarch of the Sarabhai family who created laughter in the show with his witty quips.
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 Kapur, 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 Avatar Gil also attended the last rites.
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 “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai”.
Mr Kumar posted the video on social media and wrote, “Last goodbye… couldn’t be complete without the #sarabhai song… Long live Indu kaka did you hear… I also tried singing?” Mr Majethia said it was their way of “celebrating” Mr Shah.
“We wanted to pay tribute to him in our own way. So, once almost everyone left the crematorium, we sang it (the show’s title track) for him. I think he would have liked it that way. He is a man to be celebrated,” Mr Majethia told PTI.
According to Mr. Majethia, the late actor underwent the kidney transplant primarily to get well and take care of his ailing wife Madhu, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“She realized it (Mr Shah’s death). At first she didn’t know anything. She said, ‘He is inside and that he will come out sometime’. We were like, ‘Okay, we are waiting’. But as soon as Satish ji’s mortal remains were brought home and we performed the rituals, she was brought to his head and started crying to see his head. She sat by his side for a long time. It is tragic,” Mr Majethia said, adding that all they stay in touch with Madhu.
The actor-producer recalled that Mr. Satish Shah often talked about his wife and her health.
“Her condition worsened. I remember Satish always telling her, ‘I have no other worries except Madhu’s health and nothing else in life,'” he said.
A graduate of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Mr. Satish Shah first appeared in minor roles in films like ‘Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan’, ‘Gaman’ and ‘Umrao Jaan’.
He later carved a niche for himself by acting in films and TV shows like ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’, ‘Maalamaal’, ‘Hero Hiralal’, ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’, ‘Filmi Chakkar’, ‘Hum Aapke Hai Koun..!’, ‘Saathiya’, ‘Main Hoon Na Hoi’, ‘Sarabha si vs Sarabhai”, among others.
Published – 26 Oct 2025 20:39 IST
