Mumbai: National Award-winning actress and Balika Vadhu fame Surekha Sikri 75, suffered a brain stroke on Tuesday. The veteran actress has been admitted to Criticare Hospital, Mumbai and is currently in the ICU, reports said.
Speaking to PTI, Surekha Sikri’s agent said, “She suffered a stroke earlier today. She is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Her parameters continue to be monitored closely. She is critical but stable. She was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai this afternoon.”
A film, theatre and TV veteran in an interview with Hindustan Times, last year, revealed that she had a brain stroke in 2018 as well and that she has been recovering since then. “I fell down and hit my head in the bathroom while shooting in Mahableshwar. I have not been able to work due to my illness. The doctors say that I will be alright soon,” she said in the interview.
Reportedly, the nurse who looks after her said that the 75-year-old, Surekha Sikri is facing a financial crunch and appealed to the film industry for help.
Speaking to media, the nurse said, “I rushed her to the hospital and she is currently being treated. I couldn’t get her admitted to any other hospital because of high fees. We do not have that kind of money,” she said, urging the film industry to come to provide financial aid”.
A recipient of three National Film Awards, Surekha Sikri is best known for her performances in “Tamas”, “Mammo”, “Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro”, “Zubeidaa” and daily soap “Balika Vadhu”.
The 75-year-old, Surekha received widespread praise for her role of a grandmother in Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer “Badhaai Ho” (2018) for which she even recieved a National Film Award for the Best Supporting Actress. She collected her award in a wheel chair and was honoured with a standing ovation at the award ceremony held in New Delhi, last year.
Surekha Sikri was last seen in Netflix’s Ghost Stories, in one of the four segments directed by Zoya Akhtar.