Satish Shah, the actor everyone remembers from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, passed away on Saturday, October 25. He was 74. He made his mark both in movies and on TV, but his journey wasn’t smooth at the start.
Even with an FTII degree, getting a foot in the film industry turned out to be a real struggle.
When Satish Shah spilled the beans on his struggling days
Saitsh Shah once talked about those tough early days on Komal Nahta’s show Aur Ek Kahani. Satish said that mentioning his film institute background got him a little respect, but not much else. “Back then, producers would pick actors just by looking at their black-and-white photos,” he explained. “That didn’t work for me. I wasn’t exactly model material, and I knew I wasn’t cut out to be the next Shammi Kapoor. I never came here to be a hero anyway.”
He recounted one story with a laugh: He’d show up at Famous Studios in Mumbai, hoping to meet producers. Sometimes you could see a dozen of them in a day if they even let you past the door. One time, a producer seemed genuinely interested when he heard Satish was from the film institute. The guy asked if Satish had studied direction or editing and looked baffled when Satish said he was an actor.
Satish Shah: Back then, photos would cost a lot
Shah, at the time, revealed, “The producer asked for a headshot, promising to call if something came up. But back then, photos would cost a lot, so Satish didn’t leave one. He told the producer he’d send it later, but deep down, he knew he’d never get that call or have to send that photo.
Satish tried every trick to land film roles, but nothing seemed to click. So he took on small parts here and there, just to keep going.
Everything changed when he landed a role in Shakti (1982) alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar. That was the first time he actually felt like a star.
