Naseeruddin Shah pens emotional tribute for Satish Shah; says the actor was unfairly typecast

Mumbai: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah fondly remembered late actor Satish Shah through an emotional note. He cherished the warmth of his personality and opined that he was unfairly typecast by Bollywood. 

"Of course, his passing is a loss, and he'll be sorely missed. But I consider a bigger loss to be the fact that despite, or because of, his dazzling performance gifts, his acute perception of people, his understanding of the acting process and his impeccable timing, he let himself get categorised as a comedian and stayed stuck there, seemingly content with it," wrote the 75-year-old actor in the note published by The Indian Express. 

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Shah opined that the Hindi cinema industry did not explore Satish's acting range and reduced him to just a comedian. Referring to Bollywood as "Follywood", he said, "I often wonder if it serves some dark purpose of Follywood to never let actors escape typecasting. But I've also always wondered why some people who are hugely entertaining in real life seldom make actors of depth. Several cases seem to testify to that."

Further, the actor stated that Satish had a lot to offer cinema, but opted to enjoy simpler joys of life. 

"I always felt he was doing an injustice to his enormous talent by playing safe. But that is what he chose to do. He savoured the good life, and he lived it to the full," said the actor. 

He shared that he first met Satish at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and was astounded by the way he played cricket. Shah also touched up on Satish's bond with his wife, Ratna Pathak Shah. 

"As it happened, he and Ratna formed a memorable partnership on-screen and forged an unbreakable bond of friendship off it, and she credits him for initiating her into comic acting," wrote Shah.

Shah concluded the post by stating, "His passing away was also a grim reminder that we, of that generation, are all on borrowed time now." And stated that his last wish was to share space with him "in the theatre up in the sky."

The veteran actor shared screen space with Satish in the cult classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.