Sidharth Shukla (born 12 December 1980) is an Indian actor, model and host. He is known for playing Shiv in Balika Vadhu and Parth in Dil Se Dil Tak. He emerged as the winner of reality shows Bigg Boss 13 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7. He hosted Savdhaan India and India’s Got Talent.
He won the World’s Best Model title in December 2005, beating 40 other participants from across Asia, Latin America, and Europe.He made his acting debut with a lead role in the 2008 show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na. In 2014, Shukla made his Bollywooddebut in a supporting role in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.
Shukla is scheduled to appear in the third season of the web series Broken But Beautiful.
Life and career
1980–2007: Early life and modelling
Shukla was born on 12 December 1980 into a Hindu Brahmin family in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to Ashok Shukla, a civil engineer employed at the Reserve Bank of India and Rita Shukla, a homemaker. He lost his father because of a lung disorder during his modelling days. He has two elder sisters. Shukla attended St. Xavier’s High School, Fort, Mumbai and holds a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Rachana Sansad School of Interior Design. Shukla has described himself as a very athletic child, and represented his school in tennis and football. He played against Italian football club, AC Milan’s under-19 team, on their Mumbai visit as part of Festa Italiana.
After completing bachelor’s degree in interior design, Shukla worked in an interior designing firm for a couple of years.
In 2004, Shukla was runner-up in the Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest.
In 2005, he represented India at the World’s Best Model contest held in Turkey, and became the first Indian, as well as the first Asian, to win the title beating 40 contestants from across Asia, Latin America, and Europe. After winning the title, he appeared in advertisements for Bajaj Avenger, ICICI and Digjam.
2008–2011: Television debut
Shukla at ITA Awards in 2013
In 2008, he made his acting debut with a lead role in the television show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na on Sony TV opposite Aastha Chaudhary. Shukla played Shubh Ranawat, a man dedicated to his work and family. The show ended in February, 2009.
In 2009, he appeared as Veer Vardhan Singh in Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabbi on Star One opposite Sanjeeda Sheikh and Aditi Tailang. The show ended in September, 2010. After Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabbi ended, he also appeared in a few episodes of Aahat.
In 2011, he appeared as Rahul Kashyap in Love U Zindagi opposite Pavitra Punia on StarPlus. The show was inspired by the Bollywood movie Jab We Met. He also appeared in an episode of CID.
2012–2014: Breakthrough with Balika Vadhu and Bollywood debut
In 2012, Shukla appeared as District Collector Shivraj Shekhar, opposite Pratyusha Banerjee and Toral Rasputra in Balika Vadhu. It was his portrayal of Shiv in the long-running Colors TV social drama series Balika Vadhu which earned him widespread recognition and popularity, including several awards and nominations. He received the “GR8! Performer of the Year (Male)” award at the Indian Television Academy (ITA) Awards. The ratings of the show increased after his entry. He left the show in 2015, when his character, Shiv, died fighting with terrorists.
In 2013, Shukla participated in the celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6, and was eliminated in the 11th week. It was reported that Shukla had signed a 3-film-deal with Dharma Productions.
Shukla with Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt during Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania promotions
In 2014, Shukla made his Bollywood debut in the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania in a supporting role playing the character of Angad Bedi, an NRI doctor and fiancé of the female protagonist played by Alia Bhatt. The film earned him an award for “Breakthrough Supporting Performance (Male)” in the 2015 Stardust Awards.
2014–2018: Television hosting, Khatron Ke Khiladi and Dil Se Dil Tak
In 2014, Shukla was named the host of Savdhaan India. He introduced stories of common people who fought against crime.
In 2015, after exiting from Balika Vadhu, he hosted India’s Got Talent 6, with Bharti Singh, and the season finale was aired in June 2015.
In 2016, Shukla won the stunt reality show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7. The same year, he hosted India’s Got Talent 7 with Bharti Singh, and the season finale was aired in July 2016. Later in 2016, Shukla appeared as Mr. Chakraborty, an Indian businessman, in a Kazakhstan movie, Бизнес по-казахски (Business in Kazakhstan).
In 2017, he appeared as Parth Bhanushali in Dil Se Dil Tak with co-stars Rashami Desai and Jasmin Bhasin. The series was inspired by the Bollywood movie, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. He left the series in December 2017.
2019–present: Bigg Boss 13 and web debut
Shukla with Salman Khan after winning Bigg Boss 13
In 2019, he participated in the reality show Bigg Boss 13, and was declared the winner in February 2020. Ormax media rated Shukla to be the most popular contestant of Bigg Boss 13, ranking him as number one throughout 20 weeks. He was voted the most favourite contestant of Bigg Boss 13 in polls conducted by Hindustan Times, India TV News, and The Times of India. He was the most tweeted contestant of Bigg Boss 13. Shukla won the Bigg Boss #AsliFans (Asli Fans) contest on Twitter conducted by Voot by getting the highest number of tweets among all the contestants, with hashtag #SidharthKeAsliFans.
In 2020, after winning Bigg Boss 13, Shukla appeared in two music videos, “Bhula Dunga” with Shehnaaz Gill, his Bigg Boss co-contestant, and “Dil Ko Karaar Aaya” opposite Neha Sharma. The same year, Shukla entered as one of the “Toofani” Seniors in Bigg Boss 14, with Hina Khan and Gauahar Khan, for the first two weeks. Ormax media rated Shukla to be the most popular housemate of Bigg Boss 14 till he was inside the Bigg Boss 14 house as a senior. After coming out of Bigg Boss 14 house, Shukla reunited with Shehnaaz Gill for another music video “Shona Shona”.
In January 2021, Shukla hosted 16th week’s “Weekend Ka Vaar” of Bigg Boss 14, as Shukla was filling in for Salman Khan, who was missing from the show due to other work commitments.
It was announced that Shukla would appear as Agastya Rao in the third season of the web series Broken But Beautiful opposite Sonia Rathee. The series is planned for release in 2021 on ZEE5 and ALTBalaji. Shukla will collaborate with Shehnaaz Gill for their third music video together titled “Habit”.
In the media
Shukla is a practitioner of physical fitness. In 2013, Shukla entered the Times of India’s Most Desirable Men of 2013 at 34th position, ranking 33rd in 2014, 44th in 2017,41st in 2018, and finally 15th in 2019. He was ranked 5th and 7th in the Times of India‘s Top 20 Most Desirable Men on Television in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and finally he was ranked 1st in The Times 20 Most Desirable Men on Television in 2019.
In 2014, he won the Gold Awards Most Fit Actor award and was included in Rediff’s Television’s Top 10 Actors. In 2015, he was awarded with the Wellness Icon of the Year award in 8th Geospa Asiaspa India Awards. He was announced Hindustan Times Most Stylish TV Personality 2017. In 2019, Shukla was the 9th most searched personality in India on Google. He was ranked 17th and 13th in BizAsia’s Top 30 TV Personalities of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Filmography
 |
Denotes projects that have not yet been released |
Films
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania | Angad Bedi | ||
| 2016 | Бизнес по-казахски (Business in Kazakhstan) | Mr. Chakraborty | Kazakhstan movie |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Network | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Broken But Beautiful Season 3 |
Agastya Rao | ZEE5 and ALTBalaji | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na | Shubh Ranawat | ||
| 2009–2010 | Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabbi | Veer Vardhan Singh | ||
| 2010 | Aahat | Sidharth | ||
| 2011 | Love U Zindagi | Rahul Kashyap | ||
| CID | Karan | |||
| 2012–2015 | Balika Vadhu | Shivraj Shekhar | ||
| 2013 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6 | Contestant | Eliminated, Week 11 | |
| 2014–2015 | Savdhaan India | Host | ||
| 2015 | India’s Got Talent 6 | Host | ||
| 2016 | Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7 | Contestant | Winner | |
| India’s Got Talent 7 | Host | |||
| 2017 | Dil Se Dil Tak | Parth Bhanushali | ||
| 2019–2020 | Bigg Boss 13 | Contestant | Winner | |
| 2020 | Bigg Boss 14 | Senior | For first two weeks | |
| 2021 | Host | For 16th week’s “Weekend Ka Vaar” |
Guest appearances
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7 | To promote Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania | |
| Comedy Nights with Kapil | |||
| 2015 | Comedy Classes | ||
| Bigg Boss 9 | To perform on New Year Eve special | ||
| 2016 | To promote Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7 | ||
| 2017 | Bigg Boss 10 | To promote Dil Se Dil Tak | |
| 2019 | Kitchen Champion | With his sister, Neetu Shukla | |
| Dance Deewane 2 | |||
| 2020 | Mujhse Shaadi Karoge | ||
| 2021 | Namak Issk Ka | For Holi-special performance |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Singer(s) | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | “Bhula Dunga” | Darshan Raval | |
| “Dil Ko Karaar Aaya” | Yasser Desai and Neha Kakkar | ||
| “Shona Shona” | Tony Kakkar and Neha Kakkar | ||
| 2021 | “Habit” |
Shreya Ghoshal |
Awards and nominations
Shukla at the 60th Filmfare Awardsin January 2015
| Year | Award | Category | Show/Movie | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Gladrags Manhunt Contest | World’s Best Model | N/A | Won | |
| 2012 | Golden Petal Awards | Most Lokpriya Face – Male | Balika Vadhu | Won | |
| Most Lokpriya Jodi (With Pratyusha Banerjee) | Won | ||||
| Most Lokpriya Naya Sadasya – Male | Nominated | ||||
| 2013 | Star Guild Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| ITA Awards | GR8! Performer of the Year (Male) | Won | |||
| Zee Gold awards | Best Actor (Popular) | Won | |||
| India TV Yuva Awards | Best TV Artist – Male | Won | |||
| Golden Petal Awards | Most Lokpriya Face – Male | Won | |||
| Most Lokpriya Jodi (With Toral Rasputra) | Nominated | ||||
| 2014 | Star Guild Awards | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Big Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Television Actor – Male | Nominated | |||
| ITA Awards | GR8! On-Screen Couple of the Year (With Toral Rasputra) | Nominated | |||
| Zee Gold Awards | Most Fit Actor (Male) | N/A | Won | ||
| 2015 | Stardust Awards | Breakthrough Supporting Performance (Male) | Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania | Won | |
| 2017 | ITA Awards | Best Actor – Male | Dil Se Dil Tak | Nominated | |
| Golden Petal Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| Favourite Jodi (With Rashami Desai) | Won | ||||
| 2020 | Gold Awards | Style Icon of Television Industry (Male) | N/A | Won | |
| Style Icon of Social Media (Male) | N/A | Won |