In Delhi for Holi, actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik dies of heart attack

New Delhi/Mumbai: Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik, whose comic timing in classics such as "Mr India" and "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro" is still remembered, died of a heart attack while he was on his way to a Gurugram hospital in the early hours of Thursday. He was 66.

Kaushik, who acted, directed, wrote and produced a range of films over four decades and also straddled the multiple worlds of theatre, cinema, OTT and TV, was at a friend's home in Delhi when he began to feel uneasy, his friend and colleague Anupam Kher told PTI.

"He told his driver to take him to the hospital... he suffered a heart attack around 1 am on the way," Kher told PTI.

The post-mortem was conducted at Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, hospital authorities said. The last rites of the multi-faceted artiste will be held in Mumbai this evening.

Kaushik, whose last tweet on Tuesday was a series of photographs of him playing Holi at a Mumbai party hosted by lyricist Javed Akhtar. On Wednesday, he was at a friend's farmhouse in Delhi to celebrate the festival of colours, sources in Gurugram said.

He felt dizzy late in the night and was taken to the Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, abutting Delhi, where he was declared "brought dead on arrival", hospital sources said.

Kaushik, whose directing credits include "Tere Naam" and "Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai", is survived by his wife and daughter.

The sudden death of the actor, an alumnus of Delhi's National School of Drama and Pune's Film and Television Institute of India, shocked the fraternity and those outside it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who condoled his death.

"Pained by the untimely demise of noted film personality Shri Satish Kaushik ji. He was a creative genius who won hearts thanks to his wonderful acting and direction. His works will continue to entertain audiences. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," the prime minister said.

Expressing his deep sadness, Shah said Kaushik's "contribution to Indian cinema, artistic creations and performances will always be remembered".

Echoing him, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Kaushik, who was chairperson of the Haryana Film Promotion Board, will always be remembered for his unmatched acting and direction.

Kaushik, from Haryana's Mahendragarh district, was appointed chief of the board by the Khattar government a few years ago.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and senior Congress leaders from Haryana, including Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Randeep Singh Surjewala, also expressed their condolences.

The tributes poured in through the morning.

"I know that death is the ultimate truth but never in my dreams I thought that I would have to write this about my best friend Satish Kaushik. A sudden full stop to 45 years of friendship. Life will never be the same without you Satish! Om Shanti," Kher tweeted.

"Woke up to the sad news of Satishji’s (Kaushik) demise. I've shared laughs with him on & off screen. His presence filled a frame. In life too, whenever we met, he brought a smile to my face. Condolences to his family. RIP Satish Ji," added actor Ajay Devgn.

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who acted in his directorials "Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai" and "Milenge Milenge", said on Instagram that she was "extremely heartbroken". "... Thinking of all our times together. Rest in laughter and peace," she said.

Kaushik, who played the role of Ashok, assistant to Pankaj Kapur’s corrupt contractor Tarneja in "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro", also wrote the dialogues for the 1983 cult classic along with Ranjit Kapoor.

He paired up with close friend and colleague Anil Kapoor in a series of films, as co-actors and as his director. Perhaps the most remembered is Kaushik's turn as Calendar the cook in Shekhar Kapoor’s 1987 sci-fi drama “Mr India”.

Kaushik’s comic pairing with Govinda yielded some of the biggest hits of the 1990s. These include “Swarg”, “Saajan Chale Sasural”, “Deewana Mastana”, “Pardesi Babu”, “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan”, “Aunty No 1” and “Haseena Maan Jayegi” to name a few.

Kaushik died in the saddle so to speak.

His last directorial venture was the Pankaj Tripathi starrer "Kaagaz" in 2021. In January this year, he put out a tweet saying he had wrapped production on the sequel of the film.

Amongst his last films as an actor will be the yet to be released "Emergency" by Kangana Ranaut.

"Woke up to this horrible news, he was my biggest cheerleader, a very successful actor and director #SatishKaushik ji personally was also a very kind and genuine man, I loved directing him in Emergency. He will be missed, Om Shanti," she tweeted.

Kaushik made his mark on the small screen too with web series such as "Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story" by Hansal Mehta.

Hansal Mehta remembered Kaushik as an actor, who is hungry for better characters and a passionate storyteller.

“Satish ji gone too soon. Don’t even know how to say that you will be missed dearly. Your hunger for better characters, your passion for stories and your love for life are irreplaceable. Our film together ‘Ek Director Ki Maut’ now is no longer a film...," he said.

Kaushik, who grew up in Delhi's Karol Bagh locality, always dreamed of becoming an actor. He recalled in interviews that he left for Mumbai with Rs 800, given to him by his brother-in-law, and the conviction that he would make it big.

A young Kaushik worked at a textile mill during the day and spent his evenings at Mumbai’s famed Prithvi Theatre.

He would eventually find work with Shekhar Kapoor as an assistant before making a mark in acting and then direction.