Sanjeeda Shaikh On Her Last Conversation With Sidharth Shukla: "He Sounded Like A Refined Version Of Himself"

Actor Sidharth Shukla's death in 2021 came as a shock to his fans and his fellow co-stars in the film and television fraternity. In a recent conversation, actor Sanjeeda Shaikh, who 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 and also recalled having to shoot a funny sequence immediately after hearing the news of his death. 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.”

Sidharth Shukla died in 2021 at the age of 40. He had worke4d in shows like Balika Vadhu, Dil Se Dil Tak etc.  Later, he won Bigg Boss 13 and also made his Bollywood debut with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya alongside Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.