The TV personality Sidharth Shukla died last week from a suspected heart attack. He was 40. The exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained. Sidharth first broke out into TV stardom with his work in the show 'Balika Vadhu' (2012), where he essayed the role of Shivraj Shekhar, a District Collector. Over three years, Sidharth played the character to overwhelming response, winning multiple awards. Soon after, he was roped in to co-star in 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania' (2014), again earning praise.
Police in Mumbai said Sidharth complained of chest pain at his residence in Oshiwara, Mumbai, before collapsing. His sister, brother-in-law and mother were in the house at that time. A doctor who arrived at the residence found that he had no pulse. The family called an ambulance and rushed him to the Dr RN Cooper hospital. They reached around 9.45 am and he was declared dead before admission. Dr R Sukhdev, head of the forensic department, confirmed that Shukla was brought dead on Thursday last. The post-mortem examination was conducted in the afternoon.
Before the autopsy, doctors and the police found no external injury on his body. Dr Sailesh Mohite, dean at the hospital, declined to comment on the autopsy findings. Police believe he died of natural circumstances. They have not registered an offence or an accidental death report. Police said that after going to sleep on Wednesday night, Sidharth woke up at around 3:30 am on Thursday and asked for water. “His mother was present in the house at that time. He complained of uneasiness and after drinking water, he went back to sleep,” said an officer.
However, after waking up in the morning, Sidharth again experienced chest pain. His sister called their family doctor. “The doctor was on his way to personally inspect his health. While drinking water Sidharth suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious. He passed away before the doctor could reach,” added another police officer.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Sidharth started off as a model and later appeared in TV ad campaigns for Bajaj and ICICI Bank, among others. Soon after, he made his TV debut with 'Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na.' He also won Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2016.
