The day following a lavish Holi celebration, Bollywood is once more shaken by the tragic news. Satish Kaushik, a seasoned actor and director, passes away on March 9th, 2023, at the age of 66. On the morning of the ninth, he passed away due to a serious heart attack. The news spread quickly after it appeared online. The internet is awash with posts from the actor’s admirers paying tribute to him. Also, prominent Indian figures have expressed their sympathies on social media. Currently, posts with the actor’s photos and videos have flooded our social media timeline, opening the floodgates to our eyes.
‘Hamara father north Indian, Hamara mother south Indian, Isliye hum complete Indian’. Saajan Chale Sasural, 1996; ‘Aye tamatar ke aakhri daane, aye amavas ke chamakte chaand’. Deewana Mastana, 1997. Satish Kaushik, a legendary actor, delivered these lines from two well-known David Dhawan movies. Any of the many humorous actors that appeared in Dhawan films, including Govinda, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Satish Shah, Johnny Lever, and others, might have easily been used to deliver them. Yet what made those lines memorable was Kaushik’s entire dedication to the broad comedy needed to pull off the cheesy lines, as well as his cheerful self-awareness of the genre.
Satish Kaushik:
His goal was to become an actor, so after graduating from Delhi’s Kirori Mal College, where he had originally enrolled to perform in plays with the renowned company “The Players,” he continued his education at the National School of Drama (NSD) and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). But, as he frequently referred to himself, “that lad from Karol Bagh who arrived at Mumbai’s Maya Nagri with 800 rupees in his wallet,” he became much more: a dialogue writer, director, producer, and all-around entertainer.
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One of his first actions was to persuade himself to work as Shekhar Kapoor’s assistant in the 1983 movie “Masoom,” where he learned a lot about the movie-making process. He remained with Kapoor for the Anil Kapoor-Sridevi smash “Mr India” (1987), in which he created the character of Calendar, the kind-hearted fool, who would later become one of his most well-liked roles.
It was fantastic, but Hindi cinema’s obsession with typecasting performers meant he kept receiving the same roles where he would be referred to by ridiculous names—Pappu Pager is still unmatched in that lengthy list. And would have to deliver even more ridiculous language. He was, however, never one of the “Comedy pictures ke Thakele joker log” (Double Dhamaal, 2011) that his dialogue disparaged; rather, he belonged to the class of comics who improved situations and whose presence on screen ensured amusing moments, many of which were written by master dialogue writers like Kader Khan.
Lane to Fame:
But because laughter remained his best medicine, a Western movie (Brick Lane, directed by Sarah Gavron, adapted from a novel of the same name by Monica Ali, 2007) first tapped into his ability to be much more versatile. In this movie, he plays a middle-aged man living in London who is married to an unhappy much younger woman. I can still see the tenderness he gave to that difficult character. And I recall wondering when the Hindi film business will give him roles with more weight.
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The fact that Kaushik was able to broaden his slate so quickly set him apart from the other well-known comics he collaborated with. Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), which also starred Anil-Sridevi and was produced by Boney Kapoor. It was then the most costly movie ever made in Bollywood. He went from being an assistant director to taking the helm right away. A full ten years later, Kaushik’s direction of Salman Khan’s “Tere Naam” (2003). Whose enormous popularity gave the actor a fresh lease on life in Bollywood. Despite the fact that it had become one of the most expensive failures in Bollywood history.
Last Work:
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In the last few years, with the explosion of web series, Kaushik was finally receiving the roles he deserved. The foul-mouthed moneybag Manu Mundra in Hansal Mehta’s ‘Scam 92’ was one such. Although it’s not a major role, the avarice and cruelty he gives to his character make it stand out. You ponder whether there would have been many more opportunities for him to demonstrate his versatility in such roles.
We will never forget the amiable, charming, twinkly-eyed Satish Kaushik who over the years frequently made us laugh out loud. Click here to read more about the late actor.
