Our beloved Dadi Sa Surekha Sikri is no more. The actress, who has given us brilliant performances in Tamas and Kirdaar, will always be remembered as Balika Vadhu’s Dadi Sa. The show became synonymous with her. The three-time National Award-winning actress has given brilliant performances on TV and in films but she garnered maximum love for playing Dadi Sa on Balika Vadhu.
Television’s popular grandmother, who was initially hated for being strict with Anandi, was later loved for taking a stand for her granddaughter-in-law. Recently she won the National Film Award for portraying Ayushmaan Khurrana’s grandmother in Badhaai Ho. However, the whole credit of introducing the Millenials to this powerhouse of talent goes to Colors TV’s Balika Vadhu.
Surekhi Sikri is etched in the minds of Millennials and Gen-Z who first saw her as the strict matriarch in Balika Vadhu. Despite her repertoire of work, which includes Tamas, Mammo, Sardari Begum, Kirdaar and Banegi Apni Baat, she will always be Balika Vadhu’s Dadi Sa for us. The social drama ingrained her into the psyche of this generation, who haven’t watched her shows and films of the 80s and 90s.
In 2008, a channel, Colors TV, made its way to television with a socially relevant show, Balika Vadhu. The daily soap had Surekha Sikri in various shades. Balika Vadhu marked Surekha Sikri’s comeback to television after a break. Earlier, she was seen on Zee TV’s Saat Phere… Saloni Ka Safar. The actress went missing in action from the small screen once characters, according to her, became inane.
She played the role of Kalyani Devi Singh, the matriarch who first despised Anandi (Avika Gor) and was often seen to be biased towards her grandson, Jagdish (Avinash Mukherjee). She was even seen burning Anandi’s books so that she could not pursue education. Kalyani Devi, the tough matriarch, didn’t just dictate her terms in her household, but she also had a hold in the village.
Fans loved to hate her for pampering her grandson and being strict with Anandi, but later she was seen to have become Anandi’s biggest support. She didn’t just help her get a divorce from Jagdish but also got her remarried. Balika Vadhu had lost its sheen after being dragged for over eight years, but seeing the veteran actress, who often referred to herself on the show as dokri (old lady in Rajasthani), was the saving grace of the show.
The news of her death must have come as a shock to everyone. But the brilliant performer will be etched in our minds forever.
You’ll be missed Dadi Sa.
