Television actor Sidharth Shukla died on Thursday morning at Mumbai’s Cooper Hospital, reported PTI. He was 40.
Shukla was brought dead to the hospital around 10.20 am, the agency quoted Jitten Bhavsar, a doctor at the hospital, as saying. The cause of his death was not immediately clear.
Shailesh Mohite, the dean of Cooper Hospital, was quoted as saying by PTI that the reason for his death will be known after a post-mortem examination, which will take some time.
Hospital authorities were waiting for the police to conduct a police panchnama, after which they would conduct the post-mortem examination, Bhavsar said. A police panchnama is a document in which an officer records evidence collected from the location of a possible crime. Such a panchnama can be conducted in the case of a sudden death.
Shukla debuted with a lead role in the television show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na in 2008, reported the Hindustan Times. In 2014, he appeared in the Bollywood movie, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, as a supporting actor.
Shukla’s role in the television series Balika Vadhu in 2012 had earned him widespread popularity.
He won the 13th season of reality show Bigg Boss and the seventh season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. He also hosted Savdhaan India and India’s Got Talent, and recently appeared in the web series Broken But Beautiful 3.
Several people from the entertainment industry expressed shock at his sudden death. Actor Manoj Bajpayee said that words will fail to describe the shock and sense of loss that his loved ones would face.
Shukla’s co-contestant at Big Boss Himanshi Khurana said that it was hard to believe that he is no more.
Comedian Sunil Grover said that he was “shocked and sad” to hear about Shukla’s death. “Gone too soon,” he said. “Prayers. Rest in peace.”
Actor Madhuri Dixit Nene said that Shukla’s death was “unbelievable and shocking”. She had recently met him on the sets of reality show Dance Deewane 3, where he had appeared as a special guest, News18 noted.
Several political leaders also expressed condolences to Shukla’s family and friends. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Facebook that the “news of his demise at such a young age has sent a shock wave throughout the country”.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the news of his death was “unbelievable and terrible”.
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