RIP Sidharth Shukla: Not Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, This Forgotten 2007 Film Was the Late Actor’s Bollywood Debut (LatestLY Exclusive)

We are still not able to register the shocking news about Sidharth Shukla, who passed away on September 2. He was just 40. While initial reports claim that he died of an heart attack, an irony for an actor known for his fitness. The official authorities haven't ascertained the reason yet, at the time of writing this piece, but whatever it is, the actor is gone, leaving legions of his fans and admirers heartbroken. Sidharth Shukla Dies at 40: Cause of TV Actor’s Death Is Uncertain; Investigation in Process Says Mumbai Police.

We all know how Sidharth Shukla became a popular face on television. Although he was part of shows like Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na, Jaane Pehchaane Se Yeh Ajnabi, Uttaran and Love U Zindagi, his popularity rose with his role of Shivraj Alok Shekhar in the Colors serial Balika Vadhu. The role gave him widespread attention and huge fanbase, that even Bollywood had to stop and take notice of him.

So in 2014, Karan Johar came calling, and Shukla found himself playing the second lead in Shashank Khaitan's Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Co-starring Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania was a decent hit at the box office and Shukla got praise for his performance as the good-boy fiance of Alia Bhatt's character. Even after 7 years, we still wonder where his character disappeared to before the climax of the film, so that the main leads have a happy ending to their love story. Sidharth Shukla Dies at 40: Balika Vadhu, Broken but Beautiful 3, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania – Career-Best Roles of the Bigg Boss 13 Winner.

However, contrary to popular perception, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania was not Sidharth Shukla's movie debut. In fact his acting career began in movies first before he got into soaps. Sidharth Shukla had made his acting debut in a 2007 film called I'm in Love.

Don't blame yourself if you haven't heard of it, but this film sits right at the bottom of the actor's IMDb profile. You can also spot the actor in the blurry trailer of the film that we found on YouTube, in which he was seen sporting longish hair.

Here's a song from the movie, that also features the actor's first liplock on screen.

The low-budget quality of the movie, that also starred Bobby Darling, Anil Dhawan and the late Tom Alter, is why SS might have never spoken about his real debut before. Respect Sidharth Shukla and Stop Tweeting This Fake Old Viral Clip from a Gym as Video of the Actor's Death Caught on Camera.

After Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Shukla also acted in a Kazakhstani film called Business In Kazakhstan that came out in 2016. His popularity began to peak when he was a contestant on Bigg Boss 13. His fanbase increased exponentially in this period, and he won the reality show with ease. Sidharth, who was reportedly dating fellow contestant Shehnaaz Gill (fans call them SidNaaz lovingly), also received praise for his performance in the ALTBalaji show Broken But Beautiful 3.

It is truly tragic that Death played a cruel prank right when the actor was riding high on that huge wave of popularity. Rest in peace, Sidharth Shukla! We will miss you.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2021 03:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).