Russia joined other UN Security Council members on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) to condemn the drone strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant, which Abu Dhabi said originated from Iraq where pro-Iranian proxies are active. The unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday (May 17
Vice President J.D. Vance reassured Americans on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) that President Donald Trump's war with Iran will not become a "forever war," using a White House briefing to defend his boss's policies as speculation about his potential successor builds.Vice President J.D
Frequent burning sensation after meals? Harvard gastroenterologist shares foods to avoid and eat for heartburn reliefHeartburn after coffee, spicy food or late-night snacks? Dr Saurabh Sethi shares foods that may worsen acid reflux and what may help soothe it. Published on: May 20
Matchmaker shares the one male insecurity that can outweigh even an IIM degree in biodata: 'If a boy doesn't have…'Hair over Harvard? Matchmaker shares real story of a common male insecurity in arranged marriage market that leads to biodata rejection. Updated on: May 20
Indian man in Europe says people value life after 5 pm over promotions: ‘Nobody glorifies working late’An Indian man said Europe’s biggest work culture shock was seeing people value life after work more than staying busy. Published on: May 20
Lifeline of sitcoms and satire, Satish Shah passes away at 74 in Mumbai
Lifeline of sitcoms and satire, Satish Shah passes away at 74 in Mumbai
An effortless performer who made even a corpse a timeless monument of Indian cinema, Satish Shah bid adieu on Saturday (October 25, 2025) because of kidney failure. Not just a supporting player, Shah was often the spark that lit scenes with humour and elevated his co-actors' performances.
Creating an endearing amalgam of instinct, intellect, and improvisation, Shah brought an irreverence to his roles that few could match. Lifeline of many a sitcom, he became a household name with Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, where he played a rainbow of roles, and hit the high point of his career with Sarabhai vs Sarabhai where, as the mischief-loving, Gujarati patriarch Indravardhan Sarabhai, he made fun of the shenanigans of the bourgeois class and impact of western values on Indian society in a measured performance. The series and his playful jabs at his elitist wife, Maya, played by Ratna Pathak Shah, have stood the test of time and found love across generations. He maintained that Indravardhan was a reflection of his real self.
As Indian television shifted from the sedate Doordarshan to the sparkly private satellite television, Shah was among the most popular faces on the small screen, with series like Filmy Chakkar, Ghar Jamai, and All The Best.
Born in Mumbai in 1951 into a Gujarati business family, Shah was bitten by the acting bug early and started with Gujarati and Hindi theatre. A product of St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, where the cultural scene was at its acme in the 1970s, Shah was junior to Shabana Azmi and Farooq Shaikh, and senior to Anil Kapoor and Mazhar Khan. He took the theatre route to the Film and Television Institute of India, where he came into contact with Naseeruddin Shah, Kundan Shah, and his life partner, Madhu.
A gold medallist in acting, Shah was not considered hero material by Bollywood. After a few years of struggle where he featured in bit roles in films like Umrao Jaan, Shah, ironically, made his presence felt as the dead body of the corrupt Municipal Commissioner De Mello in Kundan's cult comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983). His chemistry with Kundan went back to Ye Jo Hai Zindagi days, and the two Gujaratis conjured up comedy gold. Stuffed into a coffin for most of the running time of the film, Shah's performance as a corpse became an enduring statement of a rotting bureaucracy and an absurd system. The lifeless form became the living symbol of the rot that spurs the comedy of the ridiculous. He would say he never played a role; he became one — even when he was dead on screen!
From the physical comedy of Peechha Karo (1986) and Hatim Tai (1990) to the pure masala camp of Main Hoona Na (2004), over the years Shah displayed his mastery of all forms of comedy. For those who feel horror comedy is a new phenomenon, Shah provided comic relief in a series of horror flicks in the 1980s. His turn as a wannabe director Hitchock in Veerana (1988) became quite a rage.
Off-screen, he was a soft-spoken person who loved good food and would indulge in serious discussion of the art of acting, timing, and the role of an artist in society. Not one to plan his career, whenever he was tested, he imbued light-hearted roles with emotional depth. Be it the dean of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) or the Shah Rukh Khan's uncle in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Shah was the emotional pillar of many a star-studded structure. Elevating ensemble casts without overshadowing leads, Shah's cameos were marked by nuanced pauses, sarcasm, and impeccable comic timing. His unique dialogue delivery and improvisation turned ordinary lines into punchlines.
When social media gained currency, his characters and dialogues became a popular ingredient for the meme mills. In the last decade, he had cut down on assignments due to a lack of challenging roles and had focused on mentoring. His influence endures in modern sitcoms and character-driven films.
Published - October 25, 2025 04:26 pm IST
India / cinema / entertainment (general) / Mumbai / Hindi / Indian cinema / Hindi cinema
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: Arc de Trump? New monument model sits on US president's desk Man, 25, Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Woman’s Corpse Inside Madhya Pradesh Morgue Google AI Studio’s ‘Vibe Coding’ makes building with AI effortless Mrunal Thakur’s Saree Edit Is The Lesson In Effortless Opulence We Needed Dad's effortless moonwalk in chappals to Michael Jackson song gets 17M views Ring In 2026 With These 9 Festive Recipes Designed For Effortless Entertaining Women’s Trousers for Effortless Style Ananya Panday Stuns In Sculpted Grey Maticevski Dress With Effortless Minimal Glamour Set the bar low with ‘effortless exercise’ to ease yourself into a fitness routine Best Dry Irons On Amazon For Effortless Pressing And Smooth Clothing Finish
stuck to their holdings in companies with strong fundamentals in April, particularly technology and , according to a report on Wednesday from data platform Hazeltree, in a month when the S&P 500 jumped over 10%.Here are the details about hedge fund positioning in April:Among mega-cap
7 hours ago
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan has defended using his caste surname Menon during his swearing-in. He stated he was only mentioning his father's name. This move sparked debate on social media and among Congress leaders. Some see it as a political message to the Hindu community
7 hours ago
Madison Square Garden may have been left as scorched earth by the end of the night. But honestly? New York Knicks fans could not have been happier. Because the ‘Brunson Burner’ was turned all the way up. NEW YORK WENT ON A 44-11 RUN TO COMPLETE A 22-POINT COMEBACK WIN IN GAME 1 💨DOWN 22 WITH
7 hours ago
Rahul Gandhi asserts the Constitution faces an attack. He emphasizes its importance as a reflection of Ambedkar and Gandhi's ideals. Gandhi warns of rising inflation and criticizes the Prime Minister's actions. He calls for collective defense of equality and justice
7 hours ago
Pune techie says manager ‘fought’ to protect him from extra work during notice period: ‘God I am lucky’A Pune man praised his manager for protecting him from extra work during his notice period. Published on: May 20, 2026 2:28 PM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link A Pune
7 hours ago
Israeli air strikes have killed at least 19 people in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry has said. Ten of them, including three children and three women, were killed in a single attack that hit a house in the town of Deir Qanoun, the ministry said
7 hours ago
The AI ecosystem is entering a new phase where specialised utility is becoming as important as scale. Emerging platforms like Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and Copilot are driving this shift by delivering workflow-specific intelligence for businesses, researchers, and everyday users
7 hours ago
Rhea Chakraborty announces social media break: 'I'm taking a step back for a while'She also plans to take a break from social media, seeking to reconnect with her true self amid overwhelming online pressures. May 20, 2026, 14:25:05 IST By Monica Yadav Share via Copy link Actor Rhea Chakraborty has
7 hours ago
Indian equity benchmarks recovered sharply from early losses on May 20, with frontline indices nearly erasing the morning decline by 11:30 am, aided by buying in heavyweight Reliance Industries, auto stocks and select financial names. However
7 hours ago
15 years of Pyaar Ka Punchnama: Kartik Aaryan, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Divyenndu and other leading stars' career graphAs Kartik Aaryan's debut Pyaar Ka Punchnama completes 15 years today, we take a look at how the six leading actors from the 2011 film have fared since then Updated on: May 20
10 hours ago
Dowry, domestic violence, and the unsafe reality for Indian womenThis article is authored by Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research and author of Brides are not for Burning. Published on: May 20, 2026 11:03 AM IST By Ranjana Kumari Share via Copy link Dowry in India is no longer
10 hours ago
An unexpected AI development stole the spotlight from Google I/O. Here’s whatAndrej Karpathy's announcement of joining Anthropic garnered 17 million views on X, surpassing Google I/O's livestream views of 8.5 million Published on: May 20, 2026 11:02 AM IST By Sanya Jain Share via Copy link
10 hours ago
‘Completely false, fabricated’: TMC responds to ‘leaked’ municipal notice to MP Abhishek BanerjeeThe TMC statement urged journalists to visit the addresses mentioned or call the numbers cited in the notice to verify the facts. Updated on: May 20
10 hours ago
Cockroach Janata Party vs National Parasitic Front: The new political battle brewing in IndiaFounded by Abhijeet Dipke, the Cockroach Janata Party has rapidly exploded across X and Instagram.drawing followers by the thousands. Updated on: May 20
10 hours ago
China has confirmed that it will buy 200 Boeing jets after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Beijing last week. Under the deal, the US will provide China with supply guarantees for aircraft engine parts and components
10 hours ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.This mistake almost cost me my GST refund at Changi Airport; Buy these Charles & Keith handbags in India insteadA simple mistake at Changi Airport nearly cost us our GST refund after a
10 hours ago
Meta Layoffs: Meta is preparing to lay off nearly 8,000 employees this week in one of its largest workforce cuts yet, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg accelerates a massive restructuring of the company around artificial intelligence. According to a leaked internal memo from Meta HR chief Janelle Gale
10 hours ago
The United States and Cuba held talks this week on a U.S. offer of $100 million in assistance, which Washington has dangled as an incentive for reforms, a U.S. official said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). Mike Hammer, the acting U.S. ambassador to Havana, met on Monday (May 18
10 hours ago
As temperatures continue to soar during Indian summers, dehydration is becoming increasingly common, pushing many people towards packaged hydrating drinks and sports beverages. However, plain water alone is not always enough to keep the body properly hydrated. Essential minerals like sodium
10 hours ago
The legendary GTI badge goes electric for the first time. The Volkswagen ID Polo GTI Electric was originally previewed as the ID. 2all concept in 2023. It has a 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds. Volkswagen has unveiled an electric version of its famous ID. Polo hatchback. While the new
10 hours ago
Mouni Roy brings India to Cannes with chic patola print gown, dazzles the night in midnight blue dressAt Cannes, Mouni Roy donned two striking looks, including a chic midnight-blue gown and a stunning patola-embroidered dress. Published on: May 20
10 hours ago
' union plans for 48,000 workers to walk off the job on Thursday after efforts to clinch a deal on bonus payments fell through, threatening the health of South Korea's economy and the global supply of semiconductors.Union leader said that the 18-day strike would go ahead as management had not
10 hours ago
Gurugram-based lending company Oxyzo Financial Services is looking to acquire Rainmatter-backed GoldenPi Technologies, an online bond distribution platform, the company said in a note on May 19.Oxyzo is the financial arm of B2B ecommerce unicorn startup OfBusiness.Through the acquisition, Oxyzo
10 hours ago
Bengaluru techie explains why life in Germany felt calmer than India: ‘Never opened laptop after work’A Bengaluru techie said life in Germany felt quieter and more balanced than his daily routine in Bengaluru. Published on: May 20, 2026 10:05 AM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link
10 hours ago
One of the most expensive Korean films ever made, this epic sci-fi begins as a "breathless rollercoaster ride" and mashes up The Terminator, Predator, Aliens and Avatar. The films that compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival are known for their depth
10 hours ago
Cornell professor talks AI chaos, and dismissing AI writersThe biggest AI developments, decoded. 20 May 2026. Published on: May 20, 2026 8:00 AM IST By Vishal Mathur Share via Copy link Cognitive warmup. Actor, comedian and filmmaker Seth Rogen has some choice words for creatives using AI to
10 hours ago
Qatar said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) that U.S.-Iran negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, required more time to reach a deal, a day after President Donald Trump said he had postponed planned attacks to give the process a chance. "We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown
10 hours ago
