Popular
television and film actor Sidharth Shukla, best known for his role in the long
running TV show ‘Balika Vadhu’, died on Thursday, an official at the Cooper
Hospital here said. He was 40.

Also Read: Sidharth Shukla, actor and former Bigg Boss contestant, dies of heart attack

Shukla
suffered a massive heart attack in the morning it is learnt. He is survived by
his mother and two sisters.

In
2008, he made his acting debut with a lead role in the television show ‘Babul
Ka Aangann Chootey Na’ on Sony TV opposite Aastha Chaudhary. Shukla played
Shubh Ranawat, a man dedicated to his work and family. The show ended in February,
2009.

In
2009, he appeared as Veer Vardhan Singh in ‘Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabb’i
on Star One opposite Sanjeeda Sheikh and Aditi Tailang. The show ended in
September, 2010.

Also Read: ‘Gone too soon’: Friends, co-stars pay tribute to TV actor Sidharth Shukla

In
2011, he appeared as Rahul Kashyap in ‘Love U Zindagi’ opposite Pavitra Punia
on StarPlus. The show was inspired by the Bollywood movie ‘Jab We Met’. He also
appeared in an episode of CID.

He
got his breakthrough in 2012 when he appeared as District Collector Shivraj
Shekhar, opposite Pratyusha Banerjee and Toral Rasputra in ‘Balika Vadhu’. It
was his portrayal of Shiv in the long-running Colors TV social drama series
Balika Vadhu which earned him widespread recognition and popularity, including
several awards and nominations. He received the “GR8! Performer of the
Year (Male)” award at the Indian Television Academy (ITA) Awards.

In
2013, Shukla participated in the celebrity dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla
Jaa 6’ and was eliminated in the 11th week. It was reported that Shukla had
signed a 3-film-deal with Dharma Productions.

Also Read: Who was Sidharth Shukla?

In
2014, Shukla was named the host of ‘Savdhaan India’. In 2015, after exiting
from ‘Balika Vadhu’, he hosted ‘India’s Got Talent 6’, with Bharti Singh, and
the season finale was aired in June 2015.

In
2016, Shukla won the stunt reality show ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7’.
The same year, he hosted ‘India’s Got Talent 7’ with Bharti Singh, and the
season finale was aired in July 2016.

In
2017, he appeared as Parth Bhanushali in Dil Se Dil Tak with co-stars Rashami
Desai and Jasmin Bhasin. The series was inspired by the Bollywood movie, ‘Chori
Chori Chupke Chupke’.

In
2019, he participated in the reality show ‘Bigg Boss 13’, and was declared the
winner in February 2020. He was voted the most favourite contestant of Bigg
Boss 13 in polls. He was the most tweeted contestant of ‘Bigg Boss 13’.

Also Read: ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’ Season 5 first promo out. Host Kamal Haasan has this message

In
2020, after winning ‘Bigg Boss 13’, Shukla appeared in two music videos,
“Bhula Dunga”,and “Dil Ko Karaar Aaya”. The same year,
Shukla entered as one of the “Toofani” Seniors in ‘Bigg Boss 14’,
with Hina Khan and Gauahar Khan, for the first two weeks.

His
Bollywood debut came in 2014 with romantic comedy ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’
in a supporting role playing the character of Angad Bedi, an NRI doctor and
fiancé of the female protagonist played by Alia Bhatt.