Remembering Sidharth Shukla: The king of reality TV who charmed his way to our hearts

We saw Sidharth Shukla  lock horns with Asim Riaz, romance Shehnaaz Gill and firmly take a stand before Salman Khan. Above all, we saw him make his way to our hearts and dominate Twitter trends, take over the OTT space and make a name for himself bigger than any other television celeb. Sidharth Shukla – the undisputed King of reality TV, emerged as a force to be reckoned with in Bigg Boss 13, which was also the most successful season of the reality show. Many credit Sidharth for the mega-success of BB13. His charm, charisma and incredible grit and determination made him a hot-favourite of the audience.

Ormax media, a popular media consulting firm which is known for accurately measuring the popularity of Bollywood and TV stars, ranked Shukla on top of their list for 20 weeks straight. Shukla also won several polls conducted by leading media platforms – including Hindustan Times and The Times of India. After winning BB13, he starred in a couple music videos – both of which had views reaching up to a million. The actor then made his way to OTT with the show Broken But Beautiful – which established him as an actor who takes his craft seriously.

Shukla was riding high on success. All eyes were on him as the nation wanted to see if he would make good use of his post-Bigg Boss fame or fade into oblivion. He was doing the former but that was when he passed away on 2 September 2021, due to a heart attack – leaving behind his mother, a single parent, and two elder sisters. The media frenzy that followed his death, especially the violation of personal space during the late actor’s funeral, was heavily criticized by many. It also started an important conversation about the heart health of young Indians – a conversation which is relevant even today as the nation copes with the sad demise of Sonali Phogat – another Bigg Boss contestant who appeared in the same season in which Sidharth Shukla was a Senior.

BB G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time): Sidharth Shukla

When he participated in Bigg Boss 13 in the year 2019 – Sidharth had already established himself as an actor with Balika Vadhu in which he starred opposite Pratyusha Banerjee, another young actor who had a tragic demise. He also starred in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya with Varun and Alia and apparently had a three film deal with Dharma Productions. Despite making a name for himself in the television and film industry – Sidharth gave Bigg Boss his everything – from heated fights with Asim Riaz, to controversy with Rashami Desai, his alleged ex-partner; from his romance with Shehnaaz Gill to playful banter with Madhurima and Shefali Bagga – Sid’s many shades were loved and embraced by his fans.

Sidharth was the complete package. Unlike past winners whose run in the show was unidimensional – Shukla showed various shades of his personality – be it anger, aggression, compassion or affection. He wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn’t too image conscious or PR conscious. What’s more? He wasn’t afraid of being politically incorrect as long as he was standing up for what’s right – even if it meant going against his friends which he rarely did considering that he was fiercely loyal.

It was perhaps, his no-holds-barred, candid banter with his co-contestants and equally explosive fights that made Shukla the most loved contestant in the history of Bigg Boss. What also played a role though, was his romance with Shehnaaz which had Twitter by chokehold throughout 2020.

When #Sidnaaz Broke Records

Bigg Boss, across its 15 odd seasons has had many couples – Ashmit-Veena, Gauahar-Kushal, Tanisha-Armaan, Karishma-Upen to name a few. Most of these couples were often accused of faking a romantic angle to survive in the show as the fans would want to see a celebrity couple share an intimate relationship on camera (and the channel sure knows steamy chemistry is good for TRPs). But with Sidharth and Shehnaaz – this never seemed to be the case. The two came to like each other much later in the show when half the season was already done with. The pairing was unlikely and unexpected at first – how exactly would someone as outspoken and strong headed as Sidharth gel with the ever so sweet and bubbly Shehnaaz? The fans were in for a surprise.

For starters – Shehnaaz candidly and unabashedly confessed her feelings for Sidharth on National TV – a bold move which earned her the respect and adoration of not just the co-contestants but even the show’s host Salman. She broke the stereotype and made the first move in the relationship. Sidharth, who didn’t seem interested at first, was soon swept off his feet when Shehaaz unapologetically announced – ‘Tu mera hai, aur mera hi rahega’ (you are mine and will always be mine).

What made Sidnaaz likable (and more human) was that they weren’t always on the same page. We saw them break into fights – have arguments which other Bigg Boss couples avoided. After all, no one wants to spar with their significant other on National TV. Sidnaaz were an exception to the trend. They fought and made-up, fought and made-up – over and over again. In the process, they discovered something new about each other and grew as individuals. It is, of course, worth mentioning that Sidnaaz were one of the few BB couples whose love lasted beyond the show – the two were often seen together at events and promotions – smiling ear-to-ear while holding each other’s hands.

The couple was loved so much that their shipping name ‘Sidnaaz’ resulted in not one but 42 Twitter trends – ranging from the simple #Sidnaaz to #SidnaazLovers – many of which had more than 1 million impressions. It was, perhaps, the earthy charm and simplicity of Sid and Shehnaaz that resonated with fans the most. And perhaps, that they weren’t always cordial with each other worked in their favour. There were many moments in the show where both Sid and Shehnaaz decided to go their separate ways and played opposite teams to further their journey – after all, the competition is cut-throat in Bigg Boss and once the grueling tasks, nominations and strategizing is over, there can only be 1 winner. Both Sid and Shehnaaz knew the show was important to them so they tried to balance their love for each other with their passion for the game – which frankly, made even those who despised Bigg Boss like them – just a little bit.

Sidharth’s affectionate bond with Shehnaaz that made him more likable and humanized some of actions – like being aggressive and bad-mouthing Asim Riaz – which didn’t go down well with his fans. It was through Shehnaaz that a more human side of Sidharth came to the forefront. It showed the audience that Sidharth is capable of locking horns with all the housemates but at the same time, can also be kind, compassionate and humorous.

Sidharth’s demise is a huge loss not just for his fans but for the entire television and film industry – more so, for his mother who is a single parent. Needless to say, Sidharth will go down in history as one of the prime examples of why being one’s true self – even if it gets one hate – is the way forward in life.

It truly pays to be authentic. Sidharth Shukla’s legacy is proof.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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