Unlike lots of kids who matured in the 2000s, my very first brush with Satish Shah wasn’t through Indravadan Sarabhai of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. For me, it was Professor Madhav Rasai in Main Hoon Na. I can still see it so plainly: me and my cousin sibling pushing the bed with a package of Lays French Cheese, entirely glued to the television. Came that class scene where every trainee concealed behind books to prevent Rasai’s unlimited spray of spit. Poor Ram, the brand-new guy, had no concept and strolled directly into it. We chuckled so hard we nearly choked on our chips.
And simply when we believed it could not get any funnier, Rasai withstood safeguard Ms. Chandni, yelling with all his might, “You ph-HuuunnnKKK!” while Ram ducked to conserve himself from the shower. It was traditional Satish Shah: his timing, his expressions, the method he made the silliest gag feel extraordinary.
Even now, whenever I rewatch that movie, I can nearly taste the cheese chips, hear our laughter, and recall Amma’s voice in the background stating, “khatay color aisi cheezein dekhte hi kyun ho tum log?” [Why do you kids watch such nonsense while eating?] and feel that pure youth happiness all over once again.
Maturing in Pakistan, seeing Satish Shah never ever seemed like enjoying an “Indian star.” His funny slipped so quickly into our homes that it seemed like he came from us too. Movies like Main Hoon Na or programs like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai weren’t simply home entertainment, they became part of the daily laughter we shared as households throughout the border.
We would price quote discussions from those motion pictures, act out the scenes throughout school functions, and even take a look around for a teacher we might label “Spit-Man.” When somebody brought Monisha-esque “unique” charcoal croissants, we ‘d joke about welcoming him. And if a buddy got into tune, we ‘d push them to sing “Guzar gaye Popat kaka” in mock severity, as if it were a grieving hymn.
His wit advised me of that a person uncle every household has, the one who constantly has a clever return, teases you simply enough to make you laugh, and still makes you feel entirely in your home. The sort of uncle who pretends to be frustrated when you call him at 2 a.m. to get you coke or french fries from the corner store, however ultimately brings them anyhow. That’s precisely what Satish Shah’s funny seemed like. He turned the screen into a bridge, revealing us that laughter takes a trip quickly throughout homes, hearts, and even borders.
Satish Shah formed the method I comprehended funny. As Indravadan Sarabhai, he was the naughty male who lived to pull individuals’s legs. His consistent small talk with Maya, her attempting to maintain her airs of elegance while he happily poked holes in it still makes me laugh aloud. And who can forget that renowned line, “Main mard hoon,” which he would constantly state before without delay doing whatever Maya asked him to do!
His significant teasing of Rosesh, buffooning those “kaccha kela” design poems, was timeless Indu, yet below the jokes, there was genuine heat and love. And naturally, the method he constantly waited Monisha, their middle-class daughter-in-law, driving Maya mad, revealed me that funny might likewise hold peaceful realities about household characteristics.
Before that, there was Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, where he insinuated and out of 55 functions as if he were simply altering t-shirts, every one eccentric, alive, and memorable. In movies like Main Hoon Na, Kal Ho Naa Ho, or perhaps Hum Saath Hain, he brought the exact same ease, making supporting functions stand apart not simply as comic relief, however as characters you really kept in mind long after the movie ended.
What struck me most about Satish Shah was his large variety. In Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, he belonged to satire so sharp it seemed like viewing a mirror held up to society, with every expression of his contributing to the absurdity. Came Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, where his household humor was less about loud shenanigans and more about sly one-liners, the kind that landed with a smile and remained in your head long after the episode ended. In Bollywood hits like Main Hoon Na or Kal Ho Naa Ho, he slipped into lighter functions that made us breathe out in between the drama, like a time out of laughter in the middle of a storm.
That was his magic: he never ever seemed like a side act. He made every function, no matter how little, feel total and complete of life.
For me, Satish Shah wasn’t simply a comic star however a good friend, an uncle I might put my heart out to. On days when life felt heavy, his scenes were a sort of escape hatch, advising me that laughter was still possible. Enjoying him as Indravadan tease Rosesh or protect Monisha, or as Rasai bathing bad Ram in Main Hoon Na, seemed like sitting with somebody who comprehended that humor is frequently the very best method to make it through the absurdities of life.
What I enjoyed most was that his funny never ever felt mean or hollow. It was naughty, yes, however never ever harsh. There was constantly a heart behind it, a gentleness in the method he played even the most outrageous characters. For me, he wasn’t simply teaching me how to laugh however that funny can be both a mirror and a convenience: smart, satirical, deeply human and exceptionally ph-HuuunnnKKKy.
As I compose this, I feel a deep appreciation for the delight Satish Shah offered me, therefore lots of others, throughout years and borders. His characters still reside on in reruns, in memes we share, in within jokes exchanged at household suppers.
For me, he will constantly be the teacher who made me choke on chips, the dad who turned sarcasm into an art, the star who made funny feel human.
Thank you, Satish ji, for advising us that laughter is classic. Your tradition will keep echoing in our homes, constantly.
(Fizza Abbas is an independent reporter, author & & poet from Karachi, Pakistan, with bylines in The Diplomat, Dawn, Feminism in India, and Outlook India and so on)
(Disclaimer: The viewpoints revealed in this column are that of the author. The realities and viewpoints revealed here do not show the views of www.economictimes.com.)
