Hardest Part of ‘Bigg Boss’ Was Being Away from Mom, Says Sidharth

“Every time she tells me she’s proud of me, I feel like the happiest man on earth,” he said.

On Women's Day, Bigg Boss winner Siddharth Shukla opened up about his relationship with his mother Ritu, calling her the "most important person" in his life. In a post by Humans of Bombay, the actor recalled how, as the youngest in the family, he shared a special bond with his mother. “People know me as a man with a rough exterior. But the one person I will always melt for is my mom. Right from the time I was born, she's been the most important person in my life. I was the youngest of three kids and too small to play with my sisters, so I was always around mom,” he said.

"And as I grew older, she became my best friend! Every time I came back home after playing in the building, we'd talk about everything under the sun - at an age where children were hiding things from their parents, I wanted to tell her all about my life! She's taught me so much too," he added.

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“People know me as a man with a rough exterior. But I’ll always melt for my mom. Right from the time I was born, she’s been the most important person in my life. I was the youngest of 3 kids & too small to play with my sisters, so I was always around mom. Back when I was a toddler, I’d cry if I had to go a second without her–so even while making rotis, she’d hold me in one hand & the roller in another! As I grew older, she became my best friend! Every time I came back home after playing, we’d talk about everything under the sun–while other kids were hiding things from their parents, I wanted to tell her all about my life! She’s taught me so much too–I was a naughty kid who’d get away with trouble. But when mom told me to always be honest, I immediately owned up to my mistakes. When dad passed away 15 years ago, it felt like the umbrella over us had been taken away. But my mom was our rock–she never showed any signs of vulnerability. Despite our poor finances, she ran the house, looked after 3 kids & fulfilled all our demands! I know now that she must’ve had to sacrifice so much to give us what we wanted. She even played a pivotal role in helping me find my passion. I used to act like the ‘cool guy’–so to ‘teach me a lesson’, she sent me for a modeling contest thinking I’d be put in my place! Funnily enough, I actually won! So, even on a subconscious level, she’s been a guiding force in my life. Recently, I was on Big Boss & for the first time, I didn’t speak to her for months. I know it doesn’t sound too cool to say it at 39–but being away from her was the toughest part of the show. So, when I received a letter from her on set, I sat & read it in her voice–it felt like she was right next to me & that letter was a piece of her. Every time she tells me she’s proud of me, I feel like the happiest man on earth, because I was able to put a smile on her face; a woman who means everything to me. Even today, she’s my anchor & never fails to give me her daily dose of advice–when I finally saw her on set after 3 long months, the first thing she told me was to stop wearing shorts all the time & to put on a pair of jeans!” #HappyWomensDay

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on Mar 7, 2020 at 9:37pm PST

Siddharth also recalled how he and his sisters leaned on their mother for support after their father died. He said,

“When my dad passed away 15 years ago, it felt like the umbrella over us had been taken away. But my mom was our rock – she never showed any signs of vulnerability. Despite our poor finances, she ran the house, looked after three kids and fulfilled all our demands.”

Siddharth Shukla, Bigg Boss 13 winner

The Bigg Boss contestant also revealed that it was because of his mother that he ended up being an actor and model.

“I used to act like the ‘cool guy’, so to teach me a lesson, she sent me for a modelling contest thinking I’d be put in my place! Funnily enough, I actually won! So, even on subconscious level, she’s been a guiding force in my life.”

Siddharth Shukla

He said that the “toughest part” of being on Bigg Boss was having to stay apart from his mother for several months. “Every time she tells me she’s proud of me, I feel like the happiest man on earth, because I was able to put a smile on her face,” he said. “Even today, she’s my anchor and never fails to give me her daily dose of advice. When I finally saw her on set after three long months, the first thing she told me was to stop wearing shorts all the time and to put on a pair of jeans!” he added.