Mumbai: Ayushmann Khurrana penned a heartfelt note for veteran actress Surekha Sikri, who passed away on Friday (July 16) after suffering a cardiac arrest. The ‘Doctor G’ star, who worked with Sikri in ‘Badhaai Ho’, called her an ‘impeccable performer’ and 'consummate artist'.
Ayushmann shared photos with Surekha from the sets of 'Badhaai Ho' and said that the film had the 'perfect cast'. He thanked her for all the ‘beautiful memories’ and said that he would request her to recite Faiz Ahmed Faiz's 'nazm'.
"In every film we have a family and we end up spending more time with the film family than our own families. One such beautiful family was in Badhaai Ho. Out of all my films, it was the perfect family with a perfect cast. Surekha Sikri was the head of our family, who was more progressive than the entire family tree. You know what, that was her in real life too. A complete boho. A chiller. Young at heart," Khurrana wrote.
The 'Bala' actor talked about the moment which left him and his wife Tahira Kashyap speechless. He said, "I remember when she was boarding an auto rickshaw after the screening of our film, Tahira and I gave her a lift back home and we said “ma’am you are the real star of our film” and she replied “wish I get more work.” Tahira and I were speechless. We watched her frail demeanour walking towards her building. That’s my last memory of her."
"I would request you to watch her recite Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s nazm “Mujh-se pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang.” Aapko unse aur mohabbat ho jaayegi. An impeccable performer. A consummate artiste. A legend. You’ll be missed Surekha ma’am. Thank you for the beautiful memories," he added.
Surekha won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 'Badhaai Ho'. She is still known for her role as Kalyani Devi aka Dadisa from 'Balika Vadhu', which ran for eight long years on Colors channel.
Also READ: When 'Badhaai Ho' Actress Surekha Sikri Accepted National Film Award In Wheelchair
Sikri, who was known for her acting prowess, was suffering from the complications of two brain strokes. Several tinsel town celebs including Anushka Sharma, Neena Gupta mourned her demise on social media.
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