Satish Shah was exactly like Indravadan Sarabhai, a prankster: ‘Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’ team

Mumbai, Oct 25 (PTI) Loving, full of life and playful just like his popular onscreen character of Indravadan Sarabhai. This is how the team of popular sitcom “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai” remembered Satish Shah, who passed away at the age of 74 on Saturday.

Shah played the witty patriarch of the Sarabhai family from south Mumbai in the show that went on air in 2004. It was directed by actor-filmmaker Deven Bhojani.

The show’s producer JD Majethia and co-actors Sumeet Raghavan and Rajesh Kumar said they were shocked to hear about Shah’s sudden death.

Raghavan, who played Shah's elder son Sahil in the show, recalled their close relationship built over two decades.

“It is such a rude shock. He was in and out of hospital, he had kidney issues. He will be missed. He was a fabulous human being and an actor. We all have seen his great body of work,” Raghavan told PTI.

Majethia said he is “shocked” and in “disbelief” since he heard the news of Shah’s departure.

“I spoke to him day-before-yesterday evening for about ten minutes. He was alright, I don’t know how it all happened. It is extremely shocking. In my wildest dream I had not imagined this would happen,” the producer-actor told PTI.

Kumar, who portrayed the fan-favourite Rosesh, the younger son of Shah's Indravadan, said the veteran actor's death is a tremendous loss to both the Sarabhai family and the film industry.

“This is the worst hour for me. I still cannot process that Satish ji is no more. All I can say is that I feel I have lost my father. He was a man full of life and humour. He made his name and left a mark as an actor.

“This is a big, big loss to the industry and us, ‘Sarabhai’ family. Let’s pray for his departed soul and keep him in your prayers,” Kumar told PTI.

Raghavan, who worked with Shah for over two decades, affectionately recalled their time together.

“I’ve known him for the last 20 years, he was the real-life Indravadan Sarabhai, a prankster. I would be his partner in crime. Whenever we would chat, he would tell me, ‘Don’t let the child in you die or grow, keep the child alive’. He made sure the child in him was always alive,” Raghavan said.

Majethia spoke about the casting process for the sitcom, saying that both he and writer Aatish Kapadia immediately thought of Shah when they conceptualised the character of Indravadan.

“We knew Satish ji would be the best person for this, he was the obvious choice. So, we went to his place, narrated the show, and he agreed. After Satish ji’s house, we went to cast Ratna ji’s house,” he said.

“Satish ji was the way Indravadan was, he was loving, full of life, he was the life of the party, there was never a dull moment when he was around. He was an extremely knowledgeable person and loved animals,” the producer added.

Majethia also heaped praise on Shah for his impeccable comic timing and said he brought the role of Indravadan to life.

“He played his character to perfection. The kind of banter he has with Ratna ji on the show, it was exactly how they were off screen. They are all friends in real life,” he said.

"Sarabhai vs Sarabhai" maintained a loyal fan base long after it went off air, thanks to its memorable characters and timeless humour. The series briefly returned in 2017 for a second season, introducing the Sarabhai family to a new generation of viewers.

Majethia revealed that there were plans to begin work on season three of “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai” sometime next month.

“We were waiting for Satish ji to recover. We had a meeting about season three of the show recently, and he had said he will shoot for it anytime in November. Now, we’ve no idea (what will happen to season three),” Majethia said.

The show also featured Ratna Pathak Shah, Rupali Ganguly and Bhojani, among others. PTI KKP BK RB RB