Actor Shekhar Suman has opened up about the devastating loss of his son Aayush, who passed away at the age of 11 after battling a rare heart-related illness. In a recent conversation with Lehren, the actor revealed that he believes Aayush will return as the son of his younger son, actor Adhyayan Suman. Shekhar also recalled how the family discovered Aayush’s illness and shared why he and wife Alka Suman have never truly gotten over his death.
How Aayush’s illness was diagnosed
Shekhar revealed that it was his father, a doctor, who first noticed that something was wrong.
“My father diagnosed Aayush’s illness. He was playing with my son when he touched his stomach and told me, ‘His liver seems enlarged. When you return to Mumbai, get it checked.'”
The actor said they immediately followed up with medical tests and were shocked by the diagnosis.
“We got check-ups and tests done, and then we found out that he had fibrosis of the heart, which is a one-in-a-billion case.”
Recalling the moment he informed his father about the diagnosis, Shekhar said the response left him deeply worried.
“When I told my father over the phone, there was complete silence on the other end. Then he said, ‘Oh God.’ That’s when I realised it was a very serious illness. He told me, ‘This is not a good disease.'”
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The family later learned that Aayush’s condition was terminal.
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‘We have never gotten over him’
Speaking about the loss, Shekhar admitted that neither he nor Alka has been able to move on completely.
“Alka and I have never gotten over him. We talk about him every day. We talk to him every day. We speak to his photograph. We remember him constantly.”
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Shekhar also spoke about his spiritual belief that Aayush will return to the family in another form.
“I feel he will return as Adhyayan’s baby. Somebody predicted it, and many people have said that he will come back as Adhyayan’s son. And I feel it will happen.”
He added, “I talk to him. I feel he is there. He may not be in physical form, but I can hear his voice.”
Shekhar Suman recalls a mysterious incident involving wife Alka
The actor also recounted an incident that took place in 2009 when Alka was visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi while he was away campaigning during the elections.
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“Alka had gone to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. I was campaigning during the 2009 elections. She called me while I was giving a speech. My phone kept vibrating and distracting me, so I told the crowd, ‘One second, this is an important call.'”
According to Shekhar, Alka sounded distressed on the phone.
“She said, ‘Do you know what happened?’ She was panicking. At that moment, I should have asked if there had been an accident or what had happened. But my instant reaction was, ‘Did you meet Aayush?’ She told me that they were sitting in the car outside the temple, about to leave, when someone approached and asked for money. She gave him some. Then he said, ‘Itne sey mera kya hoga?'”
Shekhar said the phrase immediately reminded them of Aayush.
“That is exactly what Aayush used to say when doctors had put restrictions on his diet. Whenever we gave him a small portion of rice or dal, he would say, ”Itne sey mera kya hoga?'”
According to the actor, the voice and tone were identical.
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“It was the same voice, the same tone. She got frightened. She started taking out all the money from her bag to give him, but he was gone. She saw him for a moment and completely blacked out. He had come to give her darshan.”
The actor added that several priests had earlier told them that Aayush would one day appear before Alka.
“Many priests had told us that he would appear before Alka once, and that happened.”
On the work front, Shekhar Suman recently revived his iconic talk show Movers & Shakers in a new digital avatar titled Shekhar Tonite. Returning after a 14-year gap, the show retains the humour, satire and candid conversations that made the original a fan favourite. The series streams on Shekhar Suman’s YouTube channel and has been created by his son, Adhyayan Suman.
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This article touches upon deeply personal experiences of grief, loss, and spiritual beliefs following a tragic family bereavement. The reflections shared are deeply personal to the individuals involved and are intended solely for storytelling purposes rather than as advisory guidance on medical conditions or psychological recovery.
Shekhar Suman recently revived his iconic talk show Movers & Shakers in a new digital avatar titled Shekhar Tonite. (Photo: Instagram/Adhyayan Suman)