Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 26 (ANI): Veteran actor Avtar Gill remembered his longtime friend, the late Satish Shah, recalling their college and theatre days.

Gill, who was present at the late actor's cremation, spoke to ANI and shared his thoughts about Shah's lively personality.

'I have so many memories with him. We had known each other from our college days, even before we started doing films. It has been more than 50 years. We used to participate in drama in inter-college competitions. He was in Xavier's, and I was in Khalsa College. We became friends at that time. We recently met over a meal,' Gill said.

The actor also recalled being a part of the late actor's wedding.

'He was a joyful man. He was always content with his life and never ran after money,' Gill added.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, who was among the first ones to share the news of Satish Shah's passing on Saturday, was also present at the cremation.

'I was returning to my home after the cremation of Piyush Pandey when I received a call about his collapse. I rushed to the hospital, but he was no more. I shared a deep attachment with him,' Pandit told ANI.

The filmmaker reflected on working with Shah on multiple projects, including 'Saath Saath' and 'Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi' and added that he proved his versatility through performance.

Pandit also spoke about Satish Shah's health issues and said, 'Over the past 5-6 years, he started facing issues with his health. He underwent a kidney transplant and heart operations. Clinically, he was bad.'

Born on June 25, 1951, Satish Shah was best known for his roles in 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai,' 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,' and 'Main Hoon Na. ' He had an illustrious career spanning over four decades in Indian cinema and television. His passing marks the end of an era of natural, heartfelt comedy that defined a generation of Indian entertainment. (ANI)