It’s been almost a year since we lost Sidharth Shukla from a suspected heart attack. Siddharth was a talented host, and a great actor, who appeared in many Hindi TV shows and films. In one of his last interviews, he shared his inspiring story of how he was raised by a single mom – who was wind under his wings! With his beautiful story on HoB, we are remembering Siddharth Shukla today!
In talks with HoB, Siddharth Shukla mentioned: “People know me as a man with a rough exterior. But the one person I will always melt for is my mom. Right from the time I was born, she’s been the most important person in my life. I was the youngest of three kids and too small to play with my sisters, so I was always around mom. Apparently back when I was a toddler, I would start crying if I had to go a second without her — so even when she had to make rotis, she would hold me in one hand and the roller in another!
He further added how she became his best friend and taught him some really valuable lessons.
“And as I grew older, she became my best friend! Every time I came back home after playing in the building, we’d talk about everything under the sun — at an age where children were hiding things from their parents, I wanted to tell her all about my life! She’s taught me so much too — I remember being a really mischievous child who would always get away with trouble. But when mom sat me down and told me to always be honest, I immediately owned up to my mistakes.”
Further opening up about his father’s death, he mentioned: “When my dad passed away 15 years ago, it felt like the umbrella over us had been taken away. But my mom, being the strong woman that she is, was our rock through it all. She never showed any signs of vulnerability. Despite our poor finances, she seamlessly ran the household, looked after three children, and always fulfilled our demands! I realize now that she must’ve had to sacrifice so many things to give us whatever we wanted.”
And, how she played an important role in helping him find his passion and turned into a guiding force in his life. “She even played a pivotal role in helping me find my passion. I used to always act like the ‘cool guy’ — so in an attempt to ‘teach me a lesson’, she sent me for a modeling contest thinking I’d be put in my place! Funnily enough, I actually won! So, even on a subconscious level, she’s been a guiding force in my life.”
He concluded his beautiful story by sharing how his mother still his anchor,”Every time she tells me she’s proud of me, it’s the greatest feeling ever. I feel like the happiest man on earth, because I was able to put a smile on her face; a woman who means everything to me. Even today, mom remains my anchor and never fails to give me her daily dose of advice — when I finally saw her on set after 3 long months, the first thing she told me was to stop wearing shorts all the time and to put on a pair of jeans!”
At IFOHER, we pray for strength for Sidharth’s family and hope his soul will rest in peace!