Mumbai: It’s hard to believe that Sidharth Shukla is no more. The TV heartthrob, who became a household name after playing the role of Shiv in ‘Balika Vadhu, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 40.
The ‘Bigg Boss 13’ winner attended Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s High School. Sidharth’s close friend Suraj Desai made several interesting revelations while talking to ABP News correspondent Ravi Jain. He revealed that Shukla was an all-rounder in school.
“Be it academics or sports, Sidharth performed exceptionally well. He was my best friend. We shared a close bond. I miss him a lot. Unlike his modelling days, Sidharth was a thin boy during school times,” Suraj told ABP News.
Suraj went down the memory lane and shared a funny anecdote about the 'Dil Se Dil Tak' actor. “We were inseparable. One of our teachers used to address us as ‘Shukla and Dukla’. We had a blast together at St. Xavier’s,” he added.
Sidharth represented India at the 2005 World’s Best Model contest, which was organized in Turkey. He emerged as the first Indian to win the coveted title. He made his acting debut with Sony TV's 'Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na' on opposite Aastha Chaudhary.
Sidharth reached the pinnacle of success after playing the role of Shiv in Colors channel's 'Balika Vadhu'. His chemistry with co-star Pratyusha Banerjee grabbed several eyeballs for the show. He participated in 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 6' in 2013, impressing his fans with his dancing skills. He forayed into Bollywood with 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania', which starred Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in lead roles.
The talented actor earned a significant fan following after participating in Salman Khan's 'Bigg Boss 13'. His fights with Asim Riaz and chemistry with Shehnaaz Gill became the talk of the town. He managed to lift the winner's trophy of 'BB 13' after beating other five finalists in a star-studded finale.
Shukla made his digital debut with 'Broken But Beautiful 3', which premiered on ALTBalaji.