Satish Kaushik dead – Bollywood actor and filmmaker dies at 66 after ‘suffering heart attack in car’
BOLLYWOOD star Satish Kaushik has died after reportedly suffering a heart attack while traveling in a car in India.
The actor and filmmaker, 66, was journeying through the capital of Delhi when he instructed his driver to divert to the hospital.
Close pals told local media Satish "felt uneasy" and began complaining of being unwell in the motor at about 1am on Thursday morning.
The Mr India star was rushed to hospital, where doctors sadly pronounced him dead upon arrival.
His nephew Nishaan Kaushik told Hindi that Satish had suffered a heart attack.
The esteemed director's body is set to be transported to Mumbai following a postmortem, according to reports.
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His last Instagram post shared on Tuesday showed him enjoying this year's Holi celebrations with Mahima Chaudhry, Javed Akhtar, and newlyweds Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha.
He uploaded snaps of the group splattered with vibrant shades of dry powder paint for the Hindu Festival of Colours.
Mahima said she would have "given him a bigger hug" if she knew it was the final time she would see her beloved pal.
She said: "We had such a hearty laugh that day. He was so jovial.
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"He told me 'Take care of yourself, Mahima. You are looking good.' He said our kids are small right now, and we also have to take care of them."
Javed said he will struggle "to deal with the loss" of his pal who he related to so strongly.
He told reporters outside Satish's family home: "He was an unbelievable, brilliant actor.
"Both of us come from lower-class families and reached this stage through sheer hard work. He was fantastic, and touched people's lives. It'll be difficult for me to deal with this loss."
Tributes from Bollywood legends have begun to pour in for the renowned actor and director in wake of his sudden death.
Friend and fellow actor Anupam Kher told of his heartbreak at the news in a poignant Twitter post.
He wrote: "I know 'death is the ultimate truth of this world!'
"But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive.
"Such a sudden full stop on friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!"
Indian actress Kangana Ranaut said: "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."
Priyanka Chopra added: "Om shanti Satish sir. Papa and you will be talking and laughing as you always did. You will be very missed.
"Thank you for bringing so much laughter into our lives. Sending love, prayers and strength to the family."
Hindi cinema icon Manoj Bajpayee added that he was "completely shocked" to hear of Satish's death.
He wrote: "What a great loss for all of us and his family! Condolences to his family and friends! May you rest in peace Satish Bhai!"
Satish is best known for his breakout role in the 1987 hit Mr India, where he played the loveable cook Calendar.
The character became synonymous with him and inspired a series of Bollywood jokes, sketches and comedies based on him.
He previously told the Indian Express: "I played Calendar in one movie, and everyone thought I can only make people laugh. And I ended up doing that in 150 films."
Satish also played numerous other memorable roles in films such as Ram Lakhan, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Deewana Mastana.
The dad-of-one often shared throwbacks from his favourite career moments over the years on his Twitter account.
More recently, he concentrated his talents on directing hard-hitting films such as Kaagaz in 2021.
Despite his overwhelming success, Satish was known to be humble about his achievements.
He got married to film producer Shashi Kaushik in 1985, who he shared two children with.
Tragically, their baby boy Shanu died in 1996 when he was just two-years-old.
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Almost 16 years later, the couple welcomed their daughter Vashika, 10, through a surrogate.
