Everyone who knew Satish Shah always said that he was just as amusing, clever, and vivacious as Indravadan Sarabhai. When it came time to say goodbye, his friends concluded that he deserved a joyous party rather than a heartfelt farewell. "Sometimes it is necessary to cry, but he never wanted to go down that road," Ratna Pathak Shah, who portrayed Satish's on-screen wife in the classic sitcom Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai, recently recalled how Satish might have chosen to conceal his inner feelings.
In an interview with The Hindu, Ratna spoke warmly of the late actor's prayer meet, which, like his personality, was full of pleasure, laughter, and music—clips of which have gone viral on social media.

She declared, "Satish deserved it." "He didn't deserve to be mourned or wept over how things were or ought to have been. He most definitely didn't require any tearful bhajans. I completely agreed with the Sarabhai gang's decision to celebrate Satish. He lived life to the fullest. With tremendous bravery and humour, he faced every challenge life presented. That was what made him unique.
Ratna also talked about their cherished show's memorial episode that was filmed years ago. "It was a fun episode, and Satish led that pack," she grinned. "I guess Satish's memorial this time was also full of laughter—and we made Madhu smile. It's not fun to see Satish go." The finest part was that.

Ratna said Satish's demeanour as "not just funny on screen — he was exactly like that off screen too." But she thinks he had a different side that he seldom showed.
"I thought Satish might have kept his other side hidden, even from himself. He most likely never realised that life was about more than just being funny and grinning all the time. I don't think Satish ever gave himself permission to sit and cry, even though it's sometimes necessary. Given that Madhu accompanied him at every turn, perhaps he did with her.

Ratna remembered a rare occasion when she saw Satish trembling. "I only witnessed him broken when Madhu became ill a long time ago and required blood transfusions. At that point, we all hurried to the hospital. That was the single instance in which we witnessed a Satish who wasn't the happy person he presented to the world. However, it's possible that this was simply his manner of coping with life rather than an act. He wasn't interested in exploring his inner self, despite my repeated advice to do so.

Ratna regarded Satish and his wife Madhu's relationship as genuinely unique. "I've never seen a collaboration like theirs." They were so similar and synchronised that they were like two peas in a pod. They complemented each other flawlessly. She laughed with him, understood him, and offered him encouragement.
Satish's death felt very personal to Ratna. "I have witnessed a lot of friends leave." That day, something inside each of us shifted, even though he wasn't the first. I didn't know how much of a family the Sarabhai cast was until the day he departed.
At the age of 74, Satish Shah died on October 25, allegedly from renal failure.