Satish Kaushik, an artist of the everyday

A photograph of a young Satish Kaushik (1956-2023)
| Photo Credit: Instagram/Satish Kaushik

An incredible entertainer, who could write, direct and tickle more than just the funny bone, Satish Kaushik, 66, wore many hats without making a show of his versatility. The affable ambassador of cinema and theatre passed away due to cardiac arrest in Gurugram on Wednesday.

Armed with a disarming smile and a natural flair to find drama in everyday existence, Kaushik had this endearing quality that could melt barriers both on and off the screen. Essentially an actor with a director’s eye, he could channelise the tragicomic side of life into his writing and characters, right from his  Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) days to  Kaagaz (2021).

Satish Kaushik on his first day in Mumbai
| Photo Credit:
Instagram/Satish Kaushik

In his performances, he exuded the charming everydayness of a self-made man who always wore his earthiness on his sleeve. Always keen to punch above his formidable weight, he could discuss his performance in  Salesman Ramlal, the Indian adaptation of an Arthur Miller tragedy, and  Saajan Chale Sasural, a David Dhawan  slapstick, with equal zeal.

Born in a family with modest means in the Mahendragarh district of Haryana, Kaushik grew up in Delhi’s Karol Bagh and remained a quintessential Dilliwala who loved good food, carried a big heart, and could laugh at his own expense. He shed his stage fright at Kirori Mal College, polished his craft in National School Drama, and nurtured big Bollywood dreams at the Film and Television Institute of India. Unlike his haloed predecessors from the institute, Kaushik wanted to play on the front foot in mainstream cinema. He would talk about how his early struggles in life — when he worked in a textile mill in the morning and did plays at Prithvi Theatre in the evening — provided him the resilience to survive the rough and tumble of the film business that relied on face value.

Full of anecdotes, he once told this journalist how he never carried his photographs during his struggling days and once showed the X-Ray report of his kidney to Shyam Benegal when he told him to drop off his pictures at his office. It materialised in a role in  Mandi! Someone who entered the industry without a godfather, Kaushik cultivated friendships across camps and ideologies and won the respect of artists and filmmakers across generations.

A reliable supporting actor who would provide the base for the protagonists to fly, Kaushik made a name with a series of comic roles. Calendar, the affable cook that he played in Shekhar Kapoor’s  Mr. India (1987), is part of the collective memory of most Indians. A constant presence in Govinda’s slapstick comedies like  Deewana Mastana,  Haseena Maan Jayegi and  Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan, Kaushik played a number of characters who are still remembered by their names. An astute improviser, he would bring in his skill of dialogue writing to give the over-the-top characters a hook line that would stay with the audience.

Satish Kaushik nodding along to ‘Zindagi Ki Yahi Reet Hai’ in ‘Mr. India’
| Photo Credit:
YouTube/Kishore Kumar

Keen to break the type, Kaushik always maintained that he was not a comedian but an actor who excelled in comic roles. Filmmakers took time to come to terms with the range of the portly fellow but he persisted. When he was at the top of his funny game, Kaushik played the role of a shrewd politician in Sudhir Mishra’s  Calcutta Mail (2003) which is still remembered for its sliminess. Not to forget the quiet optimism of the chubby Chanu in Sarah Gavron’s  Brick Lane that won him rave reviews. Over the years, he tried to be in tune with the times and went on to play a nauseating pedophile in Nagesh Kukunoor’s  Lakshmi and a foul-mouthed leader of the bear cartel in Hansal Mehta’s  Scam 1992. Later in films like  Udta Punjab and  Thar, he showed how one could be entertaining in a realistic space as well. Recently, he delivered some compelling performances in the streaming space, the latest being that of an adorable owner of a condom factory in  Chhatriwali. He had just finished Kangana Ranaut’s  Emergency where he will be seen as Congress stalwart and Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram.

Mr India also provided Kaushik, the actor, an opportunity to observe the world from behind the camera. Pushed by his friend Anil Kapoor and his producer brother Boney Kapoor, he turned director with  Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. The big-budget entertainer tanked and so did  Prem, the launch pad of Kapoors’ youngest brother Sanjay, but their friendship survived to script success stories in the years to come.

Satish Kaushik with his dear friend Anil Kapoor
| Photo Credit:
Instagram/Satish Kaushik

A master of remakes, he directed a series of hits with Anil Kapoor, but the biggest being of them came with Salman Khan when  Tere Naam put his career back on track . Beyond the family entertainers, he loved making films with a social message. If  Tere Sang talked about childhood pregnancy,  Kaagaz, his last directorial venture, raised the issue of people who are declared dead in official papers. Last week, when we last met on the sidelines of the poster launch of a film festival, Kaushik was elated at how the film nudged district magistrates in Uttar Pradesh to take up such cases. “Now I want to make cinema that can spur change at the grassroots,” he said.

Wherever he would be, Kaushik would have made the atmosphere a few degrees lighter by now.