Satish kaushik

An amazing all-rounder, a success story

I wonder if life would be the wonder it is, the wonders it works in the lives of the men and women who come in from nowhere and rise, scene by scene to grow into some of the most outstanding success stories, stories that stoke the fire in so many other young men (and women, too) to come and try their talent in Mumbai, the Mecca of millions of dreams. True there are any number of stories of failures too, stories of all the failures of some very talented young men and women but then that is part of life. Isn’t that what they call destiny? Or the blessing and grace of God almighty. I have not come to any conclusion during the last twenty-five years and I don’t think I ever will and I love life like that, I love watching life playing with us, with all kinds of people, from Popes and Princesses, to paupers to some of the most powerful and petty politicians, from an ordinary Satish Kaushik who came to Mumbai to be an actor with just eight hundred rupees in his pocket. And, today, twenty years later, is a super success story, an actor, a producer, a director, a director of a film and serial-making company called Chitrayug, a man who has not given up his love for acting in theatre, a man who is an expert in almost every field of entertainment, a man who strongly believes in spreading joy all over the world through his efforts at giving entertainment a touch of class, a class which is respected by the classes, the masses, the critics from all over the country, his own contemporaries and colleagues, by a generation that is just growing up, growing watching the rise and rise of men like Satish Kaushik.
I give you a series of scenes that shaped Satish’s success story as I have watched them. You make what you want of them. You come to your own conclusions. I strongly believe that any thing can happen here to any one at any time. I have seen, observed, tried to study and analyse any number of success stories and have frankly failed.

A young, lean hungry and still humorous young man reaches Mumbai to be an actor. He soon realises how difficult it is inspite of his being a mine (khazana) of talent. He decides to become an assistant director. He has one man as a goal, a target - Shekhar Kapur. His spends days and nights and even months just to meet Shekhar. One morning he dresses up in his best clothes and reaches the Santa Cruz Airport. The clever and desperate man in him realises that’s the best way to catch Shekhar. He meets Shekhar, tells him about his ambition, his qualifications, his dire straits, his only will-to be his assistant. Shekhar says he has no place, no vacancy. He would try whenever he found a place for him. That place fortunately came fast. Satish still believes it is Naseeruddin Shah who put in a good word in favour of Satish and he is always grateful to Naseer, always will be.

Satish joins Shekhar as one of his assistants. His talent is respected by Shekhar within no time. He is given greater responsibilities. With just one film, Joshilaay Joshillay, Satish rises to be the right hand man of Shekhar. Boney Kapoor soon starts his most ambitious film, Mr India with Shekhar as his director. Satish follows him. He is promoted as an associate director and is also given a major role (Calendar), a character no one who has seen the film can ever forget. Recognition brings out all the reserves of talent in Satish.

The one man who is most impressed with Satish is Boney Kapoor, the young, ambitious and adventurer of a producer who fears no risks and takes them whenever he feels like wanting to. Soon he thinks of making a major film called Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja with Shekhar and before people can think of what the young man is up to he plans another film, Prem, to launch his brother, Sanjay Kapoor. Some kind of misunderstandings follow. Shekhar eyes Hollywood. He gives up directing Roop Ki Rani...
and Prem. Boney has no problems at all. He believes he has a man ready to take over - Satish Kaushik. The two films were made simultaneously. They were both directed by Satish according to Boney’s plans. The two films took Satish ten years to make. The results, both the big films flopped disastrously at the box-office. It looked like the darkest end of the most dangerous tunnel for Satish, the director. Producers didn’t want to touch him with a barge pole. There was only one man and his family, Boney Kapoor, with Anil and all the Kapoors who still had absolute and unshakeable faith in him. Satish was a shattered man but the Kapoors kept him going, added optimism and faith to his life which looked very gloomy till then.

It was almost when Satish was losing faith in himself that he took to television. He gathered whatever sources. He formed a partnership with two other friends and within no time success started smiling at this roly-poly face every time he tried to open the door leading to success. His company made a number of serials, planned a number of events, all of them successful.



He is almost forgotten and given up as a feature filmmaker but the Kapoors to whom he had dedicated ten years of his youth didn’t. One morning he receives a call from Anil Kapoor, his best friend. He could have been a broken man if he didn’t have friends and well-wishers like Anupam Kher, Boney, Anil, Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi and the entire Kapoor family who treated him like one of their own, their family. Anil asked Satish to rush to India from Sri Lanka where he was shooting. Anil had recommended his name to Dr. D. Rama Naidu to direct Hum Aapke Dil Main Rahte Hain. Naidu had faith in Anil’s confidence in his friend’s confidence. Satish couldn’t believe what was happening but everything happened and happened in the most successful way possible. Satish still had that magic touch. He could still work wonders with human emotions. He directed Hum Aapke Dil Main Rahte Hain and the film with Anil, Kajol and Anupam was a silver jubilee hit all over.

A new director called Satish Kaushik was born. Dr. Naidu and the Kapoors come to another conclusion. They decide to "adapt" a successful remake of a Telugu film. They make Hamara Dil Aapke Pass Hai with Anil and Aishwarya Rai. It is a story with ‘a social thrust’ (in keeping with the new image of Dr. Naidu as a Member of Parliament). Anil saves Aishwarya from a gruesome rape and helps rehabilitate her, till she stands on her own feet again with all her confidence at her command and even becomes the general manager of very big company. The subject appeals unanimously, universally, and is made to be understood by one and all and it succeeds in its purpose. It is a very big hit in all the territories, all the states of the country because it is a story which can happen and must never happen under any circumstances anywhere in the country, the world. The film believes. Anil as usual is superb. Aishwarya is a stupefying surprise, an actress, who it seems was born to play this difficult and delicate role, and the entire team played it very well, very successfully.



Satish and Anil had found the right way to make a successful film. The perfect film was made on a proper script, a great respect for time (Hamara Dil Aap Ke Pass Hain was completed in just six months which is a record for Boney Kapoor). They also realised the tastes of the audience, the critics, all those who loved Hindi films and all those who loved to live within the bounds of Indian traditions and values. And they also naturally made the film to make money at the box-office.

It was around this time that success embraced Satish like never before. He starts off with being an unexpected successful actor with Saajan Chale Sasural. His performance floods him with offers. He has to refuse most of them because of all the work that he has on hand. However, he still has some thirty films on the floor as an actor.I don’t know (or I don’t know who knows) how he manages his life, his career, his time. His TV company is also doing very well and he is being flooded with offers to direct some more films, some of the most tempting offers which he has to turn down at times because of time. He is in a very tight situation but he makes it a point to see that he doesn’t let any thing come in the way of his talent both as an actor and as a director.



The lessons Satish and Anil have learned during the making of Hum Aapke Dil Main Rahte Hain and Hamara Dil Aapke Pass Hai, inspires them to start their own production company together with Mansoor Siddiqui. They launch Badhai Ho Badhai some time ago with Anil, Karisma Kapoor and Ameesha Patel. "We have several ideas and plans for the future". Badhai, incidentally, is the first of several projects that we at Kapoor and Kaushik Entertainers, (that’s the name of our company) have in the planing stages. Badhai is presented by Subhash Ghai and Mukta Arts. We hope to work together in the future too.



Yes, we have another project with me Anil and Anupam Kher. Anupam will direct the film. I am not absolutely sure but I think the film will go on the floors as soon as we find the time and the mood to make the best and nothing but the best for Anupam.



I have not given up writing. I will never give up as a writer whenever I need the writer in me and I think I need him all the time.



I may look fat and lazy and sloppy but I can assure you that I can work physically, mentally and creatively even twenty-four hours a day if I am required to Kaam hi kaam hai, kaam nahi karoonga to mar jaaoonga.



As I said I have been flooded with offers both as an actor and a director. They come every day. I am not grabbing them. I am just directing Badhai for our company, I am doing Mujhe Kuch Kahna Hai for Vashu Bhagnani with Jeetendra’s son Tushar and Kareena Kapoor, one for Subhash Ghai called Hum Bhi Khush Tum Bhi Khush, an out-and-out comedy. Do you think the showman would approve my subject otherwise and above all I am doing a film for Boney Kapoor, the man without whom I would not be where I am today. There are several other plans being worked out but it is still very early to talk about them but a very good feeling to get excited about them.



Satish has never forgotten, Satish, the actor, who started with theatre. Satish is blessed with the rare ability to know things about every class of people, every kind of people. He also knows just what they want, knows their pulse. He is now doing a play called Salesman Ramlal in which he plays the central character. He finds time for the play inspite of his busy schedule because of his love for theatre which showed him his direction in life. Salesman Ramlal is based on Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman, with some changes to cater to our audience - all shows, full always, a very different Satish, an actor par excellence.



I don’t know if it has to do anything with his weight but I know that ever since he has put on weight (and what a way to put on weight!) he is full of ambitions, ideas, plans, projects and dreams of a great future, a future which will benefit not only him but films and filmmaking and everything creative which is slowly losing the significance it used to have once upon a time, once when we did not even have any hope because there were no men like Satish Kaushiks around.


Ali Peter John.

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