A number of young TV celebrities, notably Mohsin Khan, Aly Goni, Kanwar Dhillon and Akanksha Puri have mourned the passing of 20-year-old ‘Ali Baba Dastaan-E-Kabul’ lead actress Tunisha Sharma.
She was found dead on the sets in Vasai, Mumbai, on Saturday. It is believed that she committed suicide. The post-mortem report indicated that she died because of suffocation after hanging.
‘Pandya Store’ actor Mohsin Khan and close friend of Tunisha shared a picture with her on Instagram and wrote: “Not done Tunu.” He posted several pictures with Tunisha and said: “May always smile from [the] heavens, Tunisha.”
Aly Goni also took to his Instagram handle and shared Tunisha’s picture on his story and added broken heart and sad emojis.
‘Naagin’ actress and reality TV star Rashami Desai commented on her Instagram handle: “Cannot believe. Never knew her personally but one of the charming faces on television. Om Shanti. God give strength to the family and loved ones.”
Jiya Shankar shared Tunisha’s picture on her Instagram story and added a broken heart emoji.
Akanksha Puri wrote: “This is really shocking Gone too soon!! May her soul rest in peace!! My condolences to her family and loved ones R.I.P #TunishaSharma.”
Sharing a picture with Tunisha on his Instagram story, Paras Arora wrote: “I’m extremely shocked and sad ... still can’t believe this. You were such a happy kid, Tunisha. Om Shanti.”
The 20-year-old actress, who had also appeared in films, launched her TV career with ‘Bharat Ka Veer Putra - Maharana Pratap’ and later featured in shows such as ‘Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat’, ‘Gabbar Poonchwala’, ‘Sher-e-Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh’, ‘Internet Wala Love’ and ‘Ishq Subhan Allah’.
Tunisha would have turned 21 on January 4.
The late budding star played the young Firdaus, the character played by Katrina Kaif, in the 2016 film. She was barely in her teens then. She played another Katrina Kaif character’s younger self in Karan Johar and Farhan Akhtar’s sci-fi romantic drama, ‘Baar Baar Dekho’.
Remembering her from ‘Fitoor’ (she was just 13 years old then), the film’s director, Abhishek Kapoor, wrote on Twitter to share his feelings: “Shocked and deeply saddened by the passing away of #tunishasharma. I worked with her on #fitoor. She was a young 13-year-old, a gifted and a disciplined actor. Someone with a bright future and so much to give as an artist... this is so heartbreaking. May her family find peace. Hari Om (folded hands emoji).”
Tunisha, incidentally, had gone public in the past about her battles with depression, mainly because she lost her father at a young age and then a cousin with whom she was very close.
In those days, she found emotional support in ‘Pandya Store’ star, Kanwar Dhillon, who was the first to rush to the hospital where Tunisha was taken immediately after she was found hanging.
Her mother, in those difficult and dark days, would always be by Tunisha’s side and ensure she never was alone. Tunisha was then on the star cast of ‘Internet Wala Love’.
Ayush Shrivastava, who worked with Tunisha in the TV show ‘Ishq Subhan Allah’, remembered his first day on the sets with her and how she made him comfortable. He also remembered Tunisha bringing six cakes for him on his birthday.
He wrote on social media: “I still remember the first day we met. It was on the sets of Ishq Subhan Allah. I was new and the set people misunderstood me for many reasons, but only you were the one who made me feel welcome there.
“Then ALI BABA happened and on my birthday you got me six cakes. Never did I ever imagine in my worst dreams that this day will come. I am so shattered ... I so wish you would have failed ... I just wish @_tunisha.sharma_ this is NOT DONE. #tunisha.”
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