By Ratna Pathak Shah

October 25, 12.57: I received a WhatsApp message. “I’m often mistaken for an adult because of my age,” said the blurb on the photo. It was from Satish Shah, my colleague and dear friend, and I replied at 14.14 saying, “That’s just right for you!” When J D Majethia (producer of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai) messaged at 15.49 — “Satishbhai is no more!” — it felt like someone was pulling a fast one in terrible taste. As it sank in, it became even more unbelievable. Satish gone! A man determined to live life more fully, laugh at it and take every blow on the chin and come out smiling, gone!

Devastated friends frantically messaged each other: How? When? Who was with him? Where is he now? No one knew how to react. Later, I found out that others had got similar messages at around the same time; all jokes, of course. Spreading good cheer, sitting down to his lunch, feeling confident that he was on his way to full recovery and would soon be able to receive friends, Satish Shah pulled his last gag — he quit.

Flashback: Shooting the title song of Filmi Chakkar (1993–1995) with Satish. I was a novice at comedy, having done just 13 episodes of Idhar Udhar (1985); he was a polished, sharp player, a maestro of the genre, having played 50 different characters in 67 episodes of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi alone. I quickly realised I had much to learn, and who........

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