Actor and comedian Satish Shah, who was renowned for his comic timing and widely regarded as one of the finest comic actors of his generation, has died at the age of 74. His friend and filmmaker Ashoke Pandit confirmed his death on Saturday afternoon in a video message posted on Instagram.

Satish Shah dies at 74

Ashoke Pandit took to Instagram to share a video message and a picture of Satish Shah, writing, “Sad and shocked to inform you that our dear friend and a great actor Satish Shah has expired few hours ago due to kidney failure. He was rushed to Hinduja hospital where he breathed his last. A great loss to our industry. Om Shanti.”

Satish Shah’s manager later confirmed the news of his death to the news agency PTI.

Satish Shah’s life and career

Born in 1951 into a Gujarati family in the erstwhile Bombay State, Satish Shah began his acting career in the 70s. But it was in 1984 that he gained fame with Kundan Shah and Manjul Sinha’s sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, in which he won acclaim for playing 55 different characters. In the 90s, he appeared in sitcoms like Filmi Chakkar and Ghar Jamai, before reinventing his career again as the lovable Indravadan Sarabhai in the cult hit sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2004-06).

Even though Satish Shah began his film journey with a small part in the 1970 film Bhagwan Parshuram, he gained notice for roles in Umrao Jaan and Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai a decade later. He appeared as a corpse in the comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, perhaps his most iconic role on the big screen. From the 90s, he appeared in supporting roles in many hit films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Hero No. 1, Main Hoon Na, and Fanaa, among others. He was last seen on the big screen in the 2014 release, Humshakals.