Late actor Sidharth Shukla and his Balika Vadhu co-star Pratyusha Banerjee rose to fame together with the show. While Pratyusha Banerjee passed away in 2016 at the age of 24, Sidharth Shukla died on September 2 at 40. Pratyusha Banerjee’s father considered Sidharth Shukla as his son and kept in touch with him even after the demise of his daughter Pratyusha. 

Also Read | TV actor Imran Khan recalls how late Sidharth Shukla used to give him diet tips

“After Pratyusha’s death, many people talked about the relationship between Sidharth and my daughter, because of which Sidharth had stopped coming home. He often asked me in messages on WhatsApp,” he told Aaj Tak. He claimed that Sidharth checked up on him from time to time during the lockdown and even reached out to help financially. 

Also Read | Sidharth Shukla death: Was Shehnaaz Gill by his side when he breathed his last?

“During this lockdown, he used to constantly message me. I got his last message a couple of months ago. He used to ask in the message ‘Uncle, aunty do you need help?’, ‘Are you guys fine?’, ‘Can I help in any way?’ He had forcibly sent ₹ 20,000.”

Sidharth Shukla got his first break with 2008 TV show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na after having worked as a model. 

His popular shows include, Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabbi, Love You Zindagi, CID and Dil Se Dil Tak. However, it was Balika Vadhu that propelled him to stardom. The actor was in a lead role in the show. Cut to when Bigg Boss 13 aired, his participation in the show put him in the limelight and made him a household name, resulting in his victory on the reality show. 

In addition to Bigg Boss 13, Sidharth Shukla also won Khatron Ke Khiladi 7 and competed on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6. Additionally, he also hosted the shows Savdhaan India and India’s Got Talent. He got his Bollywood break with Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan’s Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.