Late actor Sidharth Shukla’s family issued a statement, appealing to those in the industry looking to capitalise on the life and times of the ‘Bigg Boss’ star.
The statement was shared by Shukla’s close friend and actor Shehnaaz Gill, who was his reported girlfriend at the time of his death last year.
“We, as a family, come with a request, which we hope everyone will respect. Sidharth has moved on and no longer can he make decisions for himself, but he’s still an integral part of our lives and our memories and we are there to protect his wishes. We request everyone who wants to use Sidharth’s name and/or face in any project, please reach out to us. Please take a moment to ask us,” read the statement.
The statement further read: “We knew Sidharth’s choices, we knew what he would have wanted and our decisions for him would be keeping all this in mind. And if there were projects that he wasn’t happy with, we are sure he wouldn’t want them released. Anything that did not release when he was with us, did not have his consent or intent for release.”
The family also urged fans to keep the actor’s wishes in mind moving forward. “So please let’s keep his wishes in mind and let’s remember him with love, with respect, with fond memories, the ones he left us with,” the statement concluded.
Shukla died on September 2 following a heart attack, aged 40. The actor was an immensely popular star on Indian television, along with making several appearances in Bollywood films. Some of his breakout performances included the popular daily soap ‘Balika Vadhu: Kacchi Umar Ke Pakke Rishte’ and ‘Dil Se Dil Tak’. But it was his appearances on reality shows that shot him to fame, including ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7’, ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6’ and ‘Big Boss 13’, which he featured on, along with Gill.
The actor also gained popularity in Shashank Khaitan’s directorial ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’, where he starred alongside Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan.
Following his sudden death, there were a number of reports that several Bollywood filmmakers were looking to make biopics on his life.
