Actor Sidharth Shukla has always been unafraid of hardships in his career. For many people in the television and film industries, appearing on the popular reality show Bigg Boss is the last resort to stop slipping to irrelevant, and often in vain. However, Shukla, who won the 13th edition of the show in 2019, became a household name and established himself as a true reality TV star.
The TV personality died early Thursday from a suspected heart attack. He was 40. The exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained.
Shukla first became a TV star with her work on the show “Balika Vadhu” (2012), where he played the role of regional collector Shivraj Shekhar. For more than three years, the role of Shukla has drawn an enthusiastic response and has won many awards. Soon after, he was invited to star in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), which again won accolades.
Police in Mumbai said that Shukla complained of chest pain at his residence in Oshihara, Mumbai around 9 am and then passed out.
At that time, his sister, brother-in-law and mother were all at home. A doctor who arrived at the residence found that he had no pulse.
picture credits: Indian Express
A police officer said: “The family called an ambulance and rushed to the Dr RN Cooper hospital. They reached around 9.45 am and he was declared dead before admission.”
The head of the forensic department, Dr. R Sukhdev, confirmed that Shukla had died on Thursday morning. An autopsy was performed in the afternoon.
Before the autopsy, neither the doctor nor the police found injuries on his body. Dr. Sailesh Mohite, director of RN Cooper Hospital, declined to comment on the autopsy results.
Oshiwara Police believe he died under natural circumstances. They did not register reports of crimes or accidental deaths.
police said that after going to bed Wednesday night, Shukla woke up and asked for water around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
“His mother was present in the house at that time. He complained of uneasiness and after drinking water, he went back to sleep,” said an officer.
However, after waking up in the morning, Shukla again experienced chest pain. His sister, who was present in the house, called their family doctor. “The doctor was on his way to personally inspect his health. While drinking water Shukla suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious. He passed away before the doctor could reach,” added another officer.
Shukla was born and raised in Mumbai. She started as a model and won second place in Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel competitions, and later appeared in TV advertising campaigns such as Bajaj and ICICI Bank. Soon after, she made her TV debut with Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na, and then starred in a series of TV dramas, including the crime drama CID and the horror drama Aahat. He also won the 2016 Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi.
Shukla is also a successful TV host, having appeared in shows such as Savdhaan India and India’s Got Talent 6. His death shocked the film and television industry.
Actor Salman Khan, who had awarded him the trophy in Bigg Boss, tweeted: “Gone too soon Siddharth.. u shall be missed…”.
TV comic and host Kapil Sharma tweeted: “Oh god, it’s really shocking n heartbreaking, my condolences to the family n prayers for the departed soul…”
Several members of the TV and film fraternity, like Rajkummar Rao, arrived at Shukla’s residence in Mumbai to pay their last respects. His last rites will be performed on Friday.
