Balika Vadhu's Avika Gor, Shashank Vyas, Avinash Mukherjee remember 'dadisaa' Surekha Sikri: 'Will always love you'

Actors Avika Gor, Avinash Mukherjee and Shashank Vyas on Friday remembered their Balika Vadhu co-star, late actor Surekha Sikri. The three-time National Award-winning actor died on Friday morning at the age of 75 following a cardiac arrest at a hospital in suburban Mumbai.

Taking to Instagram, Avika Gor shared an old picture with Surekha Sikri from the television serial and penned a note. Sharing the post, Avika captioned it, "I have some amazing memories with Surekha ji. Apart from being an incredible actress she was a beautiful human. It was always difficult to match her energy levels during the scenes but she made sure I was comfortable every time I was around her & that taught me to be grounded."

She added, "I have always wanted to be like her.. hardworking.. grounded.. kind. She has truly left us a legacy to follow. Dadisaa… I will always love you, my guardian angel. RIP."

Speaking to SpotboyE, Avinash Mukherjee, who played the role of Surekha Sikri's young grandson Jagdish aka Jagya in Balika Vadhu, said, "I just keep seeing clips of Balika Vadhu just to see her acting...I was a 12-year-old when I was doing Balika Vadhu and one day on the sets I asked her how do you act so well? And looking at my age, an innocent boy asking this, she just answered me in one word 'experience'."

He also said, "What I remember and what will stay with me for my life is that the only person she had around her while we used to shoot for Balika Vadhu was her husband as her children were settled abroad. And her husband passed away when she was on the set at 2 pm (lunchtime). She left the set and the next day she was there on the sets at 7 am ready with makeup and dialogues. Everybody was shocked...She came and performed without any hesitation or anything on her face."

Shashank Vyas, who essayed the role of grownup Jagdish, also told the publication, "She was an institution in herself. She was a legend and a natural actress. She was full of life and positivity. She lived life on her own terms and had a sense of humour. I must have done some good in life, that I got a chance to work with her and I learned a lot in 5 yrs. We both shared an extremely close bond that will never fade away."

Also Read | Surekha Sikri tribute: Badhaai Ho star Sanya Malhotra, Balika Vadhu star Mahhi Vij and others remember late actor

Surekha Sikri made her debut with the 1978 political drama film Kissa Kursi Ka. She is known for her nuanced performance in Tamas, Mammo, Sardari Begum, Badhaai Ho, and Zubeidaa.

In 2019, she had received the National Film Award for her role in the film Badhaai Ho. She was last seen in Netflix's Ghost Stories (2020).