Surekha Sikri passes away: From Badhaai Ho to Balika Vadhu, a look at celebrated actor's notable performances

Three-time National Award-winning actor Surekha Sikri died on Friday morning at the age of 75 following a cardiac arrest. Her agent said the actor had been suffering from complications arising from a second brain stroke. The actor, whose last screen appearance was in Netflix’s anthology Ghost Stories (2020), has left a rich legacy of movies behind, with Tamas, Mammo, Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Zubeidaa, Badhaai Ho and daily soap Balika Vadhu. _Also read — Surekha Sikri in one of her last interviews: 'Feels like I've been discovered by a whole new generation'_   A noted thespian, she debuted on screen with the 1978 political drama film Kissa Kursi Ka, following which she played supporting parts in many Hindi and Malayalam movies and television shows. Other than her National Film Awards, she had also won a Filmfare Award. The unfortunate death of the stalwart brings back memories of the characters she has eternally etched in our minds. Here is a look at some of the best works of Surekha Sikri. Balika Vadhu [caption id=“attachment_9810461” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Surekha Sikri in Balika Vadhu[/caption] Arguably one of the most memorable performances of Sikri was in the television series Balika Vadhu, where the actor essayed the role of the family matriarch Kalyani Devi Singh, fondly addressed by everyone as Daadisa. Set in rural Rajasthan, Balika Vadhu is a coming-of-age drama about a child bride and her transitioning to womanhood. The titular balika vadhu (child bride) quickly becomes _Daadisa’_s nemesis. The role won Sikri the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role in 2008. Tamas  [caption id=“attachment_9810471” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  A still from Tamas[/caption] Based on the Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel of the same name by Bhisham Sahni, Tamas is set against the backdrop of Pakistan during the partition of India in 1947. The film focuses on the challenges Sikh and Hindu emigrants s a consequence of the partition. Sikri played Rajo in the movie, a character that won her a National Award for Best Supporting Actor. Mammo [caption id=“attachment_9810451” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Fareeda Jalal and Surekha Sikri (left) in Mammo[/caption] Shyam Benegal-directed Mammo (1994) was the first film in the auteur’s ‘Muslim trilogy’, followed by Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001). In Mammo, Sikri played Fayyazi, grandmother to a 13-year-old Riyaz. The film charts how a Pakistani woman, played by Fareeda Jalal, breaks barriers to reunite with her family in India, her sister (Sikri) and her grandson. Sikri won her second National Award for her role in the movie. Zubeidaa [caption id=“attachment_9810441” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Surekha Sikri in a still from Zubeidaa[/caption] Sikri returns to essay Fayyazi for a second time in Zubeidaa, starring Karisma Kapoor, Rekha and Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. The protagonist here is also named Riyaz’s (Rajit Kapoor), who is desperate to understand his mother, whom he has never known, since his grandmother fostered him. Badhaai Ho [caption id=“attachment_9810481” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Surekha Sikri in Badhaai Ho[/caption] Sikri’s performance in Amit Ravindernath Sharma directorial Badhaai Ho catapulted her to become almost an overnight social media sensation. The actress played a dominating matriarch again, but this time, she was woke. The film also starred Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao, Shardul Rana and Sanya Malhotra. Sikri went on to bag her third National Award for the movie.