New Delhi: Actor and model Sidharth Shukla, best known for his role in the TV show Balika Vadhu, died on Thursday morning of a heart attack. He was 40. Shukla was taken to Mumbai's Cooper Hospital after the heart attack. A post-mortem will be conducted by a panel of three doctors.
Shukla's sudden death has left the TV fraternity "shocked and sad", with tributes pouring in from colleagues such as Sunil Grover, Devoleena Bhattacharjee, Himanshi Khurana, Munmun Dutta and others. Sidharth Shukla, who won season 13 of Bigg Boss in 2019, is survived by his mother and two sisters.
Shukla was active on Twitter until earlier this week. His last tweet, posted on August 30, congratulated athletes Sunil Antil and Avani Lekhara on their gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Though some reports suggested a heart attack, the cause of his sudden death, which sent shockwaves through the industry and TV fandom and ignited fresh debate on the pulls and pressures of showbiz, is not immediately clear.
"He was brought dead to the hospital. The cause of the death will be known after the post-mortem is conducted... it will take some time," Cooper Hospital Dean Dr Shailesh Mohite said.
The hospital's Dr Jitten Bhavsar said Shukla — who won Bigg Boss 13 in 2020 and joins the ranks of actors on the cusp of fame who went too early — was declared dead by the principal medical officer when he was taken to the hospital around 10.20 am.
The Mumbai born actor's family issued a statement through his PR team requesting the media to draw a line and "give his family and loved ones space and let them grieve".
"We are all in pain. We are as shocked as you are. And all of us knew Sidharth was a private person, so please respect his privacy, his family's privacy. And please pray for his soul to rest in peace," it said.
Shukla began his career as a model and made his acting debut with a lead role in the TV show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na.
He later appeared on shows such as Jaane Pehchaane Se... Ye Ajnabbi, Love U Zindagi but it was Balika Vadhu that made him famous.
In a tragic coincidence, his co-star from the show, Pratyusha Banerjee, also died way too young. She was only 24 when she was found hanging in her apartment in Mumbai in 2016.
Other than Bigg Boss 13, Shukla participated in other reality shows, including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7.
In 2014, Shukla made his Bollywood debut with the Karan Johar-produced Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania where he had a supporting role opposite Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.
The tributes poured in, from shocked viewers who had watched him on so many shows, from his colleagues and from stars big and small.
Bigg Boss host Salman Khan wrote: "Gone too soon Sidharth... You shall be missed. Condolences to the family. RIP."
Dhawan posted an emotional note on Instagram, sharing pictures with him and co-star Alia Bhatt from the promotions of Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.