Delnaaz Irani remembers Satish Kaushik: I gave him a birthday call every year without fail

For Delnaaz Irani, the late actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik was not just another artiste from the industry, but a friend, with whom she laughed, tried a lot of good food and created happy memories with. On Kaushik’s 67th birthday anniversary, Irani talks to us about the close bond she shared with him and his family.

“I gave him a birthday call every year without fail. This year, I will definitely call Shashi bhabhi,” Irani shared, adding, “I have known Satish ji and his family for years because both of us used to live on Yaari road (Mumbai). Satish ji’s wife, I and (actor) Nileema Azim would go for long walks in the evening. We all used to meet each other often, took part in each others’ celebrations and hang out together at parties. That’s why Satish ji’s family and we were very close. In fact, we were like family friends and he would adorably call me ‘humaari Delu’ (Nick name for Delnaaz)”.

As Irani shifted her house, she could not meet Kaushik and his family as often as she used to. And that’s why, when she visited his place for the funeral, the thought the she should have met them often hit her hard.

“In our super-busy schedules, we forget to connect with people who really matter. I think, after this incident, I have promised myself to make time for people I care about. Life has its own way of teaching you that it’s unpredictable. I will also make sure that I visit Satish ji’s family (wife and daughter) as he would love that we are around them,” she tells us.

Irani and Kaushik not only had a close personal connection but also worked together on the film Milenge Milenge, about which she mentioned in her Insta post. But there a lot of memories from that time, that Irani didn’t share on social media. “When Kal ho Na ho happened, I got a call from Satish ji and in his super-energetic, typical Punjabi voice, he said, ‘Delu, mene film dekhi, bahut acchi lagi. Tune bahut accha kaam kara hai. I am very proud of you. Me ek picture bana raha hun Milenge Milenge aur tu usme hai.’ That’s it. (laughs). It was as simple as that and then he called me to his office to discuss details,’ she recalls.

Milenge Milenge was her second movie and Irani shares that it never felt like she was working. “He was a lovely man. He would crack jokes and make the atmosphere cheerful. Aisa ki haste haste kaam ho jaata tha,” she ends.,