‘Balika Vadhu’ and ‘Badhaai Ho’ actor Surekha Sikri dies at 75 of Cardiac Arrest

Surekha Sikri, a three-time National Award winner best known for her roles in Balika Vadhu and Badhaai Ho, died at the age of 75.

Surekha Sikri, a veteran actor, died at the age of 75 after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to her manager. She had been ill for months and had suffered a brain stroke in the year 2020.

Her manager manager told indianexpress.com, “Three-time national award winning actress, Surekha Sikri has passed away following a cardiac arrest earlier this morning at the age of 75. 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.”

Sikri’s ’s performance in the 2018 comedy Badhaai Ho won her the National Film Award for best supporting actress. She portrayed a sassy mother-in-law whose bark is as bad as her bite. Her most recent appearance was in Zoya Akhtar’s episode of the Netflix anthology film Ghost Stories.

Surekha Sikri made her film debut with Kissa Kursi Ka in 1978. For her roles in Tamas (1988), Mammo (1995), and Badhaai Ho (1999), she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress three times (2018). Her role in the primetime soap opera Balika Vadhu catapulted her to fame. Her performance in the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Badhaai Ho received a lot of praise and was regarded as a breakthrough. Sikri described herself as a “blank canvas” in her early years at the drama school, unsure of her abilities but hungry for understanding the bottomless possibilities of stagecraft.

Surekha had a stroke in 2018 after falling in the bathroom and hitting her head. “I had a brain stroke ten months ago and I have been recovering since then,” she told Hindustan Times in a 2019 interview. While shooting in Mahabaleshwar, I fell and hit my head in the bathroom. Due to my illness, I have been unable to work. The doctors say I’ll be fine in a few days.”

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