Veteran actress Surekha Sikri passes away due to cardiac arrest

Veteran actress Surekha Sikri passed away at the age of 75 due to cardiac arrest earlier this morning. She breathed her last in Mumbai among her family members. Her manager confirmed the sad news to the Indian Express and said that the three-time national award-winning actress left for heavenly abode due to cardiac arrest earlier this morning. The actress had been suffering from health issues for quite a while. In 2020, she had suffered a brain stroke and also a paralytic stroke in 2018. 

Sikri’s manager further told the publication, “She had been suffering from complications arising from a second brain stroke. She was surrounded by family and her caregivers. The family asks for privacy at this time. Om Sai Ram.”

Last year, in an interview with Hindustan Times, the actor expressed her disappointment with the Covid-19 guidelines that prohibited those over 65 from working. She mentioned that many people from the industry have reached out to her for financial help, which is very kind of them but she didn’t take anything from anyone. “I don’t want charity. Give me work and I want to earn respectfully,” the Badhaai Ho actress added.

The actress was famous for her portrayal of dadi in the popular daily soap Balika Vadhu. She has worked in theatre, television as well as films. She was last seen in the 2020 Netflix's anthology Ghost Stories alongside Janhvi Kapoor and Vijay Varma. Surekha Sikri was the recipient of three National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She received the honour for her roles in films like Tamas in 1988, Mammo in 1995 and the 2018 film Badhaai Ho that starred Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra, Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta in significant roles.