Veteran actress Surekha Sikri lost her life due to a cardiac arrest on Friday. The actress was well known for her role of ‘Dadisa’ in the TV serial, Balika Vadhu. In conversation with Pinkvilla, the Balika Vadhu co-stars Anup Soni, Avinash Mukherjee and Shashank Vyas remembered some fond memories shared with Surekha Sikri. They talked about how knowledgeable she was, and also called her a ‘legend’.
Anup said, “For us, it was a great opportunity to work with such a great actress. She was my senior from the National School of Drama, and when you study at an institute you hear about all the seniors who pass out from the same place. So we were in awe of her anyway, but I had never met her before Balika Vadhu. But one day I got to work with her so closely for so many years, and that was like a learning experience for me. The way she works and the way she approaches her characters – I think it was a masterclass in itself while working with her. She was so knowledgeable, and it was fun to talk to her.”
Shashank, who played the lead in the serial, said, “Maybe I must have done something good in my life, that I got a chance to work with her, and I learnt a lot in five years. We both shared a very close bond. Surekha Ji was a legend, a natural actress, full of life, positivity, and lived life on her own terms. She even had a great sense of humour. I had met her to check on her health when we sat and spoke for two hours. I will miss her.”
Sharing some of the happy memories with the late actress, Avinash said, “What I remember most about Surekha Ji is her discipline. I remember, she would never read the script in English, as the pronunciations of certain words would change. So she used to come to the set every morning, lock her room, and write each and every dialogue in Hindi and then would read from there. That’s something I learnt from her and is a practice I follow even today. She is someone I have learnt the most from, and she is truly one of the greatest actors. Every emotion she ever portrayed onscreen has come across as honest to the core. She loved me a lot. Every day she used to kiss me on my cheek and forehead on the set, and I am just too disheartened right now. May her soul rest in peace.”
