National Award-winning actor Surekha Sikri no more

The veteran, who died of cardiac arrest, was a powerful character artiste in cinema and soap operas

National award-winning actress Surekha Sikri — who excelled equally in theatre, television, and films — passed away in Mumbai on Friday. She was 75.

She died of cardiac arrest on Friday morning, surrounded by family members and caregivers.

Surekha was ailing for some time. She had suffered a paralytic stroke in 2018 and a brain stroke in 2020.

A veteran of Hindi theatre, Surekha made her film debut in the 1978 political drama ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ and went on to play supporting roles in numerous Hindi and Malayalam films. She was a part of many Indian soap operas as well, with ‘Balika Vadhu’ being the most prominent one.

Born in Uttar Pradesh, she graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD) in 1971. Her last release
‘Badhaai Ho’ (2018) got her immense praise from viewers and critics.

Surekha won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in ‘Tamas’ (1988), ‘Mammo’ (1995), and ‘Badhaai Ho’ (2018).

She was awarded the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role in 2008 for her work in the primetime soap opera ‘Balika Vadhu’. She also won the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the same show in 2011.

Surekha bagged the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1989 for her contributions towards Hindi theater.