Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt remember Sidharth Shukla: 'One of the warmest, kindest and most genuine people'

Actor Sidharth Shukla was best known for his small screen appearances, but his popularity wasn't lost on his co-stars Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. Sidharth worked together with Varun and Alia on 2014's Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, which served as Sidharth's film debut.

Sidharth Shukla died on Thursday after suffering a heart attack. He was rushed to Cooper Hospital in Mumbai, but was declared dead on arrival. "Initial report indicates that he died of a heart attack. We, however, won't be able to confirm the cause of his death until we complete the post mortem," a senior doctor from the forensic department of the hospital told Hindustan Times.

Taking to Instagram Stories, Alia shared an old monochrome picture featuring herself along with Sidharth and Varun. She captioned it, "Sid. One of the warmest, kindest and most genuine people I've worked with... always smiling and always positive! My heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and his fans who loved him so so deeply! Rest in peace!" She also added a folded hands emoji.

In an Instagram post, Varun shared pictures of him and Sidharth with Alia Bhatt, and wrote, "Rip brother u are loved by so many and u touched so many with ur kind heart and beautiful personality. Today heaven has gained a star and we have lost one. My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones."

Also read: Sidharth Shukla's death leaves TV and film stars in shock; Manoj Bajpayee, Raveena Tandon 'can't believe it'

In an interview ahead of their film's release, Varun had spoken about Sidharth's popularity, and when he first realised the scale of his fame. He said in Hindi, at a press meet, "In Borivali we were shooting... First there were a couple of aunties, and I didn't pay much attention thinking there was a kids' market nearby. Then some school kids came calling Sidharth's name, that's when I realised there's going to be a problem."

Some years later, Varun paid a visit to the sets of Bigg Boss, when Sidharth was a contestant on the show. Varun advised his old co-star to keep his cool and not lose his temper.

Also read: RIP Sidharth Shukla: His last Instagram post was a tribute to hospital staff

Sidharth Shukla made his acting debut with a lead role in the 2008 show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na. In 2014, he made his Bollywood debut in a supporting role in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. He emerged as the winner of reality shows Bigg Boss 13 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7. He hosted Savdhaan India and India's Got Talent.