Entertainment / I felt like God was being cremated: Vidyut pays tribute to Sidharth

Mumbai: Sidharth Shukla’s sudden demise left the whole entertainment industry reeling. After the death of the actor on September 2 in Mumbai, many of his colleagues and loved ones have been paying tribute to the Bigg Boss 13 star. One such artiste is action star Vidyut Jammwal.

On Wednesday, Vidyut conducted an 18-minute long LIVE session on Instagram where he remembered Sidharth and paid tribute to him in his own way. The video post was captioned, “I love you Shukla.”

Starting the video with a prayer, Vidyut Jammwal went on to recount many tales of Sidharth Shukla that he was privy to as a result of being one of his close friends. Both Vidyut and Sidharth had begun their journey with modelling, and while Sidharth became a huge TV star, Vidyut made a name for himself in Bollywood.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vidyut Jammwal (@mevidyutjammwal)

Calling the late actor his best friend, Vidyut said, “The last time I met Shukla was this year. He used to call me and we used to randomly meet up. I have never had a best friend like Sidharth Shukla. He was my first gym partner in Mumbai. Usually, people remember what girls wear, but it is rarely that a guy remembers what another guy wore. He was this big guy wearing a white shirt and beige trousers, and his hair kept falling over his eyes. And I remember thinking, ‘Who is this good-looking guy?’ I asked my cousin and he said it was his good friend Shukla.”

“I have had my best training sessions with him. Shukla was a hardcore action fan. We used to watch WWE together. He was there to see my first show when I made my debut as a lead actor in Commando 1. He never used to say ‘invite me to your premieres’ etc,” Vidyut added.

Calling him an ‘asli mard,’ the Commando star said that he was the very definition of how a man should be as he was raised by three strong women — his mother and his two sisters.

“Sidharth was an ‘asli mard’ who was raised by three strong women. He used to respect everyone, be it children, watchmen or anyone else. He was one of those people that even loved the paps. He is the one actor who I know never called the media to click his photos. The media genuinely loved him, and he was always very gracious with them.”

Further extolling Sidharth Shukla’s virtues, Vidyut Jammwal said, “There is another thing I want people to know about Sidharth. Usually, when guys get together, they often talk about girls. But he was the one person who never mentioned a woman’s name. He was also one of those people who could speak English and Hindi equally well, and was really witty. It was very difficult to beat him.”

Recounting the scene at Sidharth’s funeral, Vidyut stated, “This was the first time I went to cremation that I felt like God was being cremated, people were standing there sincerely with folded hands. Now with pride I can say that I love you.”

Vidyut Jammwal concluded the video by thanking his fans for loving the late TV personality and dedicated the Fast and Furious track “When I See You Again” in Sidharth Shukla’s memory.