Mumbai, 25 October 2025: Veteran actor Satish Shah, best known for his comic brilliance in the television classic Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, passed away on Saturday due to kidney failure. He was 74.
Filmmaker Ashok Pandit confirmed the news, saying Shah was admitted to Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai earlier in the day but could not be saved. “It is with deep sorrow and shock that I inform you that our dear friend and wonderful actor Satish Shah passed away a few hours ago due to kidney failure. This is a great loss to the film industry. Om Shanti,” Pandit wrote on Instagram.
Sources said the actor had been unwell for some time and had withdrawn from public life in recent years. He had not appeared in any film or event lately, with his last screen appearance being in Humshakals (2014).
Born on June 25, 1951, in Mumbai, Shah’s love for acting began early. A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, he made his film debut in the late 1970s with small roles in Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan and Gaman.
His big break came with Kundan Shah’s 1983 satire Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, where his portrayal of the corrupt commissioner D’Mello remains one of Indian cinema’s most memorable comic performances.
Over a career spanning four decades, Satish Shah appeared in more than 200 films, including Masoom (1983), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Main Hoon Na (2004), Chalte Chalte, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, and Ra.One (2011).
Fans and colleagues from across the film industry mourned the passing of an actor who, through humor and heart, became a beloved presence in Indian households.
