Rasik Dave was a shy person who did not want to open up

By Jyothi Venkatesh

I still cannot believe that my good friend Rasik Dave is not with us anymore after he passed away due to a kidney ailment a few days ago. His actress wife Ketki Dave opened up that her late husband Rasik Dave believed that all will be fine and never wanted to talk about his illness. Rasik died on Friday evening. Yes. Theatre and TV actor Rasik Dave, known for his role of Nand in the 1980s TV show Mahabharat, passed away on Friday at the age of 65. He is survived by his wife actor Ketki Dave and their children.

Ketki Dave has spoken about how her late husband, actor Rasik Dave never wanted to talk about his deteriorating health. Ketki said that Rasik believed that all will be fine and had asked Ketki not to lose hope. Taking a trip down memory lane, Ketki said that they met on the sets of a Gujarati play in 1979 and ‘instantly liked each other.

Rasik Dave

Rasik, known for appearing in Hindi and Gujarati films and shows, died after a prolonged illness at the age of 65. He was suffering from kidney ailments for the past four years and died on Friday evening. “Dave had a weakness, his blood pressure, and kidney issues. He was on dialysis. He was there in the hospital for about 15 to 20 days. He was brought home on Thursday and I met him and he just smiled at me. He passed away at 7.30 pm yesterday,” Rasik’s mother-in-law, veteran actor Sarita Joshi, had told a news agency.

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Ketki had said, “Rasik never wanted to talk about his illness. So, we never shared about his deteriorating health with anyone. He was a very private person and believed that all will be fine. But, deep down, we knew somewhere that he was not well. In the last few days, he told me how I should always continue working. I was supposed to open a play and I told him I was not in the state of mind to work, but he kept saying that the show must go on and I should never stop working. Even when he was unwell, he kept saying that all will be fine and I should not lose hope.”

Recalling their first ever meeting, in 1979 on the sets of a play, Ketki said, “We instantly liked each other. As we worked together in plays and TV shows, we fell in love and got married in 1983. Rasik was a very down-to-earth, stable and somebody who believed in living life to the fullest. He would never get bogged down by things and would always motivate me to face the ups and downs of life. Even if we had a lot of fights, they were healthy because we would work towards resolving them. I can say that 40 years of marriage with Rasik went by happily because he was someone who believed that life has to be lived well.”

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Rasik is best known for his work in Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed Rekha starrer movie Jhoothi, TV shows like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Mahabharat, Sanskaar – Dharohar Apnon Ki and dance reality series Nach Baliye. Ketki has featured in many films such as Money Hai Toh Honey Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho. She is best known for her appearance in the TV show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Behenein etc.

Even as I am writing this, people are still talking about Rasik, who resembled the actor Raj Kiran a lot. Dipika Chikhlia wrote, “He was such a fun person and looked a lot like Raj Kiran and Chintuji. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to his family.”