Entertainment / Sidharth's death changed me, regret not calling him for 2 yrs: Arti

Mumbai: Arti Singh and Devoleena Bhattacharjee kickstarted the press launch of Bigg Boss 15 on Thursday. The two former contestants first participated in a survival task along with journalists and held a press conference. Salman Khan virtually attended the event as he is shooting in Austria for Ek Tha Tiger 3. As the Waaris actor sat down to chat with the media, she also opened up about her friend and Bigg Boss 13 co-housemate Sidharth Shukla.

Speaking exclusively to indianexpress.com, Arti shared that she was terribly affected by Sidharth’s untimely death and it also changed her perspective towards her life. She also revealed how they hadn’t spoken for almost two years, and she now regrets not calling him after the Bigg Boss 13 finale, which took place in February 2020. Sidharth passed away on September 2 after a massive heart attack.

“Just like most people in the country, I was also affected by his death. Honestly, I still can’t believe that he is no longer with us. It is yet to sink in. I think it’s the most unfortunate thing for his family and fans,” she shared.

Opening up about not being in touch with Sidharth, Arti said, “We last spoke on the finale of Bigg Boss. It just happened that we never spoke for almost two years and I do regret not making the effort to call him.”

The actor further shared that she visited Sidharth’s home after his demise as she wanted to be with the family. She also added that she knows her presence may not have made a difference but as a friend, she wanted to be there. “It was so disheartening to see the family, and even Shehnaaz. I don’t think there’s a match to what she, Sidharth’s mother and sister must be going through,” she added.

Ask her if it was Sidharth and Shehnaaz’s closeness that led the once good friends to drift apart, she said, “I just kept away. They were happy and I didn’t want to poke my nose.”

Arti Singh further shared that after losing Sidharth, she has realised that life is too short and one needs to live it to the fullest. “I believe in being happy every day of my life. I have taken a lot of things for granted in my life and always lived in the future. Now I wake up thanking God for my life and work towards making the most of my day. Now I only want to work and travel the world. Husband, bacchon ka bhoot utar gaya. I want to see what the almighty has in store for me.”