Shibani Dandekar breaks down recalling painful separation from youngest sister, who was adopted by their uncle: ‘We had no contact with her’

As she opened up further, Shibani broke down, reflecting on how challenging it was to deal with Apeksha’s absence. “It was tough navigating a family environment with the knowledge that someone was not with us. Because we had to carry on with our lives — go to school, live as a family of four — but there wasn’t a day when we didn’t think about her. It never got easier. That experience became a huge moment in my life, shaping so many things for the rest of my life, and probably Anusha’s as well. We had no contact with Apeksha. I didn’t know anything about her, except for the photos where she looked exactly like my mother. That made it even harder because every time we saw her, we thought, ‘She’s one of us,’ but we had to accept that she wasn’t coming back.”

Shibani also reflected on how Apeksha gradually reconnected with the family. “She slowly came back into our lives, and today, she’s a big part of our family. Whatever that family looks like, with the time we’ve had together, it’s there, and it’s something we’re continuing to work on.”

Shibani spent her childhood in Australia before starting her career as a television host on American TV. After returning to India, she hosted several shows and events on Hindi television. Most recently, she appeared in the web series Made In Heaven Season 2.