Remembering Sidharth Shukla: Shehnaaz Gill is taking his legacy ahead, say SidHearts

It’s been exactly a year since Sidharth Shukla, a popular actor whose fame surged after his stint in the reality show Bigg Boss, died due to cardiac arrest. However, even today, the late actor remains popular on social media. We speak to his fans, who are known as SidHearts, about their idol.

Mehak, 26, from Punjab, met the actor in November 2020. “When I met him, he treated me like he knew me. He treated everyone like family. I was there with him for 30 minutes, and he was just so warm. I remember telling him, ‘Your mum is sweet and you are the best son’, and he countered me right away with, ‘No, she is the best mum’,” she tells us.

“I sent Sid a mug with his fans’ pictures as a gift. And on Mother’s Day, he posted a snap with his mum featuring the same mug! During interviews, he’d remember most of his fans’ accounts. Once, he took my name and said, ‘I’ve met her’,” says Smita Pandey, who met the actor on the sets of Balika Vadhu.

“He was an integral part of our lives, treated his SidHearts like family members, motivated and guided us. I just wish we could go back in time and relive the wonderful moments he spent with us. His absence has left a void, which can never be filled,” says Dr Nupur Kharangate, a dentist from Goa, who met the actor in December 2020.

Shukla’s fandom isn’t just limited to India. SidHearts are spread across the East, the West, and everything in between.

Kumayl Abbas Rizvi, from Islamabad, Pakistan, mentions, “In the past year, millions of his fans, including me, have realised that celebrating him, talking about him, telling people about him, implementing his ideas in our lives will never end. He is infinite, a never-ending source of guidance and love. His impact across the border is such that whenever something bad happened in our country, he always asked us about our safety. He never differentiated between his Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi fans. He always considered them his fans, his SidHearts, his Siddians.”

Nikita Sharma, 24, from Toronto, Canada, feels it is actor-singer Shehnaaz Gill (Shukla’s close friend) who keeps the late actor’s legacy alive. “For us, we see Sidharth in Shehnaaz. I believe he is watching all of us,” she states.

Ratna Goel is from Atlanta, USA, and has been running a fan account since 2017. “Even after he became really famous, he knew most of his fans by their names. I even used to tease him asking why he isn’t married and he always said he is ‘enjoying his single life’ and never gave a straight answer,” Goel recollects.