Veteran actor, Satish Shah passed away on October 25, 2025, leaving his fans absolutely heartbroken. The actor died of kidney failure at the age of 74. He was known for his iconic roles. However, the actor’s journey to stardom was far from easy. Satish Shah faced years of rejection before making a mark by carving out a niche as one of Indian cinema’s most beloved character actors. Despite being a graduate of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), his journey was marked by rejections, and he once reflected on this, recalling that he was not the ‘hero type’.
Satish Shah once reflected on his journey in the entertainment industry
In an interview with Komal Nahta on Aur Ek Kahani, Satish Shah once candidly spoke about his early days in Mumbai, when being an FTII graduate earned him ‘respect but no real work’. He recalled that he was not ‘good-looking’ enough for the industry. The actor, humorously yet emotionally, reflected on how his looks became a barrier in his early years.
While being a graduate from FTII alone was a massive deal back in the day, it didn’t get Satish Shah much work. He reflected on how what the industry was seeking did not fit him. However, he also acknowledged that he never aimed to be such a part of the industry either. He was quoted as saying:
“When I would say I’ve come from the institute, I would get a bit of respect, but that’s about it. There was no other advantage whatsoever. Back then, actors were often picked just by looking at black-and-white photos. That system didn’t quite work for me — I wasn’t the good-looking, hero-type face they were seeking. I knew I wasn’t the next Shammi Kapoor, and honestly, I never aimed to be one.”
Satish Shah on how he didn’t fit the ‘conventional’ looks of a ‘hero’
Sharing a lighter moment, Satish Shah had once recalled visiting a producer who, upon hearing he was from FTII, assumed he studied film direction or editing, not acting. However, when he corrected the producer, he asked Satish to leave his photograph; he declined, quipping that pictures were expensive and he knew the producer would never call back. ‘My persona was my drawback then.’
In a 2023 interview with CNN-News18, Satish Shah further explained that he didn’t fit into any of the industry’s conventional categories. He revealed that he was too tall and well-built for a comedian, and his features were too soft for a villain. This often led people to assume he was not an actor but a director or maybe a cinematographer. However, over time, Satish carved out a niche for himself as a character artist and made a mark in the industry. He was quoted as saying:
“I was too tall and well-built to be a comedian, had too soft a face to be a villain, and wasn’t conventionally good-looking as a hero. Whenever I went to meet people, they often assumed I was a cinematographer, an editor, or a director — never an actor. My personality itself worked against me back then.”
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