Ratna Pathak Shah recalls the only time she saw a ‘cheerful’ Satish Shah shattered: ‘He never allowed himself to cry’
Ratna Pathak Shah remembered late comedian Satish Shah's strength and rare emotional moments with his wife Madhu Shah.
The industry lost one of its most iconic comedians, Satish Shah, on 25 October. The late actor’s Sarabhai vs Sarabhai co-star gave him an emotional yet warm farewell by organising a musical prayer meet. Now, Ratna Pathak Shah, who played his on-screen wife in the beloved sitcom, has recalled how Satish often hid his emotions and revealed the only time she ever saw him break down.
Ratna Pathak Shah recalls seeing Satish Shah shattered
In a conversation with The Hindu, Ratna opened up about the Sarabhai vs Sarabhai cast singing the show’s theme song and bidding him goodbye with a joyful prayer gathering, saying Satish truly deserved such a send-off. She added that the late actor didn’t deserve weeping, mourning, or people lamenting what was or what could have been, because he lived life to the fullest and faced everything with immense courage and humour.
She further shared, “I felt Satish maybe didn’t let his other side come out, even to himself. He probably never acknowledged that there was more to life than humour and smiling through everything. Sometimes it’s necessary to sit and cry, and I don’t think Satish ever allowed himself that. Maybe he did with Madhu, because she was with him every step of the way.”
Ratna recalled the only time she saw Satish not his usual cheerful self, saying, “The only time I saw him shattered was when Madhu fell ill long ago and needed blood transfusions. All of us rushed to the hospital then. That was the only time we saw a Satish who wasn’t the cheerful one he showed the world. But maybe that wasn’t an act — maybe that was just his way of dealing with life. I told him a couple of times that he should look deeper within himself, but he wasn’t keen on going down that road.”
Satish Shah’s death
On 25 October, Satish collapsed at his Mumbai residence while having lunch. Although he was rushed to the hospital, the doctor declared him dead on arrival. While early reports suggested kidney failure, his Sarabhai vs Sarabhai co-star Rajesh Kumar revealed to Bollywood Hungama that the actor died of a heart attack. Satish had no children and is survived by his wife, Madhu, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Satish entertained audiences as Indravardhan Sarabhai in the iconic sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. Over his long and celebrated career, he also appeared in blockbusters such as Hum Aapke Hain Koun!, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Main Hoon Na, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Om Shanti Om, and many more. He was 74 when he passed away.
