Three of Surekha Sikri’s top performances
Veteran actor and National Award-winner Surekha Sikri passed away earlier this year. But her legacy as a seasoned, theatrical actress lives on.
ZEE5 recently announced their latest rom-com release, Kya Meri Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai, which will be late Surekha Sikri’s last screen appearance. The actress, who had been active in the industry for over four decades, spent her last years working religiously as well. She was known for being experimental and challenging herself with boundary-pushing roles. Generally cast as a supporting character, her theatrical background seemed to help her polish even smaller parts into something greater.
Today we look back at her top three films, wherein she may not have been the lead heroine, but definitely was the star attraction!
Ghost Stories (2020)
Even though her role was limited to the half an hour segment that Zoya got, and even in it she was hardly facing the camera directly, but at the ripe age of 75, Surekha’s new toothless, almost fragile avatar, contrasted by her shockingly curt dialogues, impressed viewers as if she was a newfound senior talent. She seamlessly takes us on a wild journey through her character’s many moods, which she executes with the right amount of restraint. What may come as a surprise to most viewers is that she took on this role after suffering a stroke. ‘Ghost Stories’ was certainly a departure from her previous performances, but one which induced admiration, not horror.
Balika Vadhu (2008-16)
Surekha might have delivered some great performances as a young woman, but her talent really shone through in her golden years. Balika Vadhu brought her into limelight again and she became a household name, portraying the tough matriarch Kalyani Devi, aka Dadi Sa. She wasn’t afraid to wield a gun, burn books to prove a point, and dictate terms to anyone who came her way. But what made the audiences love her, as she graced their screens daily, was her transformation. A traditional woman, she later turned into the biggest support of the child bride she welcomed in the house, thus making her a daily soap icon for her time.
Badhaai Ho (2018)
Yes, it’s hard to steal attention in a Neena Gupta film, especially when Neena is an older woman who gets pregnant. It also doesn’t help to have Sheeba Chadha in a supporting role, but somehow, Surekha’s quarreling grandmother character manages to do so, just for a little while. Without her, the story is incomplete – the viewer will leave dissatisfied. She once again proves that expressions make an actor, not just dialogues, as she conveys her feelings through her eyes and silence. The pivotal heartwarming scene in the entire film is when she (hilariously) disses her daughter and other daughter-in-law for ridiculing Neena, and defends her as dutiful.
If one had to summarize her performances so far, it would be simple – always tough, but always inspiring. That’s just how she lived her life too.