RIP Satish Kaushik: Always a liar, never a settler

The 66-year-old has spent most of his life in the Hindi film industry, enjoying a glorious four years of ups and downs, huge successes, stunning flops and blockbuster comebacks. For Satish Kaushik, everything he has gained, lost and found is tied to his arrival in Mumbai.

August 9, 1979, Satish Kaushik – a young, determined, ambitious boy from New York delhi – Arriving in the City of Dreams on the ultra-fast Paschim Express with his experience from the National Institute of Drama and Film and Television Academy of India. As he famously tweeted in 2020 commemorating his arrival in the city in 1979, “Mumbai Gives courage to work, friends, wife, children, home, love, warmth, struggle, success, failure and happy life. From August 10, 1979, Kaushik’s first morning in Mumbai, to March 9, 2023, when his body will be returned to the city, bears witness to an artist who never stopped dreaming.

Early in his career, Kaushik doubled as an assistant director on filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s 1983 classic Masoom, in which he also starred. In this scene, Kaushik is full of ideas, excitement, and a street-smart attitude, which gives him an early glimpse of his desire to be different. Shekhar Kapur recalled in August 2020 that when Kaushik assisted him in Masoom, he told him that if the director had to yell at anyone, he could yell at him Shout. “Because as an assistant, how can anyone notice me?” Kaushik said.

That same year, Kaushik collaborated with his NSD classmates nazaruddin shah, Om Puri in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, for which he wrote the dialogue and starred. But the actor’s big break came in 1987 when he was reunited with Shekhar Kapur in the beloved classic Mr. India. Transformed into an adorable chef’s calendar, Kaushik has won countless hearts. The calendar became his identity, and he embraced it.

He’s always been a liar, never a settler. So, like Mr. India, who earned acclaim onscreen as a calendar but also worked tirelessly off-screen as an associate director, Kaushik has always been about mixing and matching. While he quickly became a goofy figure in Bollywood commercial films, he continued to branch out artistically. He made his directorial debut in 1993 with the box office flop Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. Two years later, he re-directed Prem, starring Sanjay Kapoor and Tabb, which was another flop. He finally hit the jackpot with Anil Kapoor, cayol Starring Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hainin 1999.

Even as his director met mixed fortunes at the box office, his acting career was thriving. He is Banke Bihari Chaturvedi “BBC” of Jamai Raja, Mutthu Swamy of Saajan Chale Sasural, Kashiram of Ram Lakhan, Pappu Pager of Deewana Mastana, Kunjbihari Lal of Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Mr Pareshan of Aunty No 1. His collaboration with comedy veteran ’90s filmmaker David Dhawan marks Kaushik’s inimitable footprint in the industry. His presence, even in a small role in the comedy, ensured smiles and laughs.

In 2007, Kaushik also starred in the famous British drama “Brick Lane”. In this film, which co-stars Tannishtha Chatterjee and directed by Sarah Gavron, Kaushik delivers one of his most moving and sensitive performances. It’s also a film Kaushik is very proud of, frequently listing it as one of his personal favorites in media interactions.

The 2000s was the decade in which Kaushik really accelerated as a director and helmed the most successful film of his career, Tere Naam, directed by salman khanin that decade alone he directed nearly eight films, including Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, Karzzz, Teree Sang and Milenge Milenge, the last released film Shahid Kapoor and Karina Kapoor.

Over the past decade, Kaushik’s cast has become more selective. His credits are as diverse as crime drama Udta Punjab (2016), comedy Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se (2018), Netflix’s new western thriller Thar, Hansal Mehta’s acclaimed series Scam 1992, He played the stock market tycoon Manu Mundra in it.

Kaushik’s last directing is 2021’s human drama Kaagaz, starring Pankaj Tripathi, which the director just can’t wait to get to. At Tal’s promotional event last year, an excited Kaushik declared to a nearly packed room of reporters that he would always be unstoppable when it came to his art. “I’m busier than ever, I’ve got a lot of work to do and I’m so passionate about moving on, what does age matter? I’m here to stay.”