One of the lasting images of the last rites of Sidharth Shukla at the Oshiwara crematorium here on Friday was the late TV star's 'special friend' Shehnaaz Gill breaking down inconsolably as she arrived with her brother Shehzaad to pay her last respects to the man with whom she shared incredible chemistry.
Even as tinseltown was trying to come to terms with Sidharth's sudden death, all eyes were on his 'Bigg Boss 13' co-contestant. Gill, according to her father and friends, was in a bad way ever since she accompanied the late actor's body to Cooper Hospital here on Thursday.
Famous among their fans as 'SidNaaz' (the hashtag had been trending much before the actor's untimely death), the two visibly shared a cordial bond, and when she was on 'Big Boss 13', Shehnaaz would off and on verbalise her feelings for Sidharth.
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Though SidNaaz never formally confirmed their relationship, they appeared together on reality shows, where their chemistry was all too evident.
Their 'Bigg Boss 13' co-contestant Abu Malik, music composer Anu Malik's brother, has been reported as saying that Shehnaaz had urged him on to ask Sidharth to marry her. Malik recalled: "Shehnaaz said this to me on March 22, 2020. I think this was just a day before the first lockdown. Sidharth used to love her a lot. He would say that if she woud get upset, it affected him as well."
The beautiful relationship has been cut short on a painful note -- and Shehnaaz, by all accounts, isn't taking it well.
Reality TV regular Rahul Mahajan said after visiting Sidharth's residence to pay his last respects to the departed actor that he had also met Shehnaaz and found that she gone "completely pale as if a storm had just passed by and washed away everything."