Sanjeeda Shaikh recalls when she had to shoot a funny scene after hearing about Sidharth Shukla’s death: ‘That felt terrible’

Sanjeeda Shaikh spoke about why Sidharth Shukla's death felt like a personal loss to her. She recalled having to shoot a funny sequence immediately after hearing the news of his passing.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: May 29, 2024 07:15 PM IST

3 min read

Sanjeeda Shaikh recalled her last conversation with Sidharth Shukla. (Pic: Sanjeeda/Instagram, PR)

Sidharth Shukla’s death in 2021 came as a shock to his fans and the entire TV fraternity. In a recent conversation, actor Sanjeeda Shaikh, who had worked with Sidharth for a year in the TV show Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabbi, spoke about why his death felt like a personal loss. She recalled having to shoot a funny sequence immediately after hearing the news of his passing.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, she said, “I worked with Sidharth Shukla for a year and when he passed away it felt like a personal loss. We were good friends and we had a good understanding. I remember I was shooting in Amritsar for my Punjabi film and I got a call from my friend, who informed me that he was no more. It took a little time for me to accept that but I also understood my strength at that time. I understood that an actor has to forget everything when they are performing. Imagine on the day that your friend passed away you are supposed to shoot a sequence that requires you to be funny. It’s tough, maybe you cry after packing up, but that felt terrible.”

Sharing her last conversation with Sidharth and how the actor was looking forward to a bright future after winning Bigg Boss, she said, “I had this conversation with him just three months before he passed away when Covid was going on. He had told me, ‘Sanju, main kuch karuga (Sanju, I will do something).’ Bigg Boss gave him so much love and acceptance from the audience that he was a confident person. He sounded like a refined version of himself compared to the time we had worked together years ago. It felt so beautiful, he deserved the love and appreciation that he received at that time. Kudos to aunty (Sidharth’s mom) for taking this also in a positive way.”

Also read | Sanjeeda Shaikh doesn’t care about the criticism that Heeramandi has received for historical inaccuracies: ‘Nobody can match Sanjay Leela Bhansali’

Sanjeeda also revealed that Sidharth always wanted to take part in reality shows. She said, “Sidharth was waiting for an opportunity when we were working on the TV show. He was waiting to be a part of a reality show. He was accepted by the audience as the person Sidharth Shukla more than the characters he has played and he knew that.”

Sidharth Shukla died from a suspected heart attack in 2021 at the age of 40. He gained popularity after playing a prominent part in the Colors TV show Balika Vadhu. Later, he won Bigg Boss 13 and also made his Bollywood debut with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya, which featured Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles.

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