Satish Shah, who proved his acting prowess on the big and small screen and was known for his roles in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, passed away on Saturday.
The actor, who later became a familiar face on television with several hit shows to his credit, had a challenging start in the entertainment industry. During his appearance on Komal Nahta’s celebrity chat show Aur Ek Kahani, the Sarabhai vs Sarabhai star recalled his early struggles to find film roles. Despite being an FTII graduate, Satish revealed that breaking into movies was far from easy.
He shared, “When I would say that I have come from the institute, I would get a bit of respect, but that’s about it. There was no other advantage whatsoever. It was a time when actors would be selected after their black and white pictures were seen, and that wouldn’t work for me as I was not that good looking. They wouldn’t think that I am the new Shammi Kapoor, and I was aware of it. I had not come to become a hero.”
He further said, “The kind of things that have happened with me, I share with a laugh. I went to a producer’s office. Those days Famous Studios (in Mahalakshmi, Mumbai) was like a filmmakers’ haven. Once you reach there, you could easily meet 10-15 producers, that is if you are allowed to go inside in the first place. One producer I met there was quite impressed that I was from the film institute. He asked me if I had studied film direction, editing, etc, and was shocked when I said that I was an actor. So he asked me to leave my picture with him, and that he would call me when there is a role. But in those days, pictures were expensive, so I didn’t leave my picture with him. I told him I’ll send it over to him later. I was sure that he would never call me, and I’d never have to send him my picture.”
Satish Shah shared he tried various tactics to get films, but nothing worked. The actor continued doing small roles, until he got an opportunity to work in Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar’s Shakti (1982), and that was the first time he felt like a star.
The actor, who later became a familiar face on television with several hit shows to his credit, had a challenging start in the entertainment industry. During his appearance on Komal Nahta’s celebrity chat show Aur Ek Kahani, the Sarabhai vs Sarabhai star recalled his early struggles to find film roles. Despite being an FTII graduate, Satish revealed that breaking into movies was far from easy.
He shared, “When I would say that I have come from the institute, I would get a bit of respect, but that’s about it. There was no other advantage whatsoever. It was a time when actors would be selected after their black and white pictures were seen, and that wouldn’t work for me as I was not that good looking. They wouldn’t think that I am the new Shammi Kapoor, and I was aware of it. I had not come to become a hero.”
He further said, “The kind of things that have happened with me, I share with a laugh. I went to a producer’s office. Those days Famous Studios (in Mahalakshmi, Mumbai) was like a filmmakers’ haven. Once you reach there, you could easily meet 10-15 producers, that is if you are allowed to go inside in the first place. One producer I met there was quite impressed that I was from the film institute. He asked me if I had studied film direction, editing, etc, and was shocked when I said that I was an actor. So he asked me to leave my picture with him, and that he would call me when there is a role. But in those days, pictures were expensive, so I didn’t leave my picture with him. I told him I’ll send it over to him later. I was sure that he would never call me, and I’d never have to send him my picture.”
Satish Shah shared he tried various tactics to get films, but nothing worked. The actor continued doing small roles, until he got an opportunity to work in Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar’s Shakti (1982), and that was the first time he felt like a star.
