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Surekha Sikri

Overview

Surekha Sikri (1945–2021) was an Indian actress noted for her work across theatre, cinema, and television. Trained at the National School of Drama (NSD), she was widely respected for her versatility and remains one of the few performers to have won three National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress, a distinction recognised across Indian acting circles.

Key Facts

Full name Surekha Sikri
Born 19 April 1945, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died 16 July 2021, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Education Aligarh Muslim University; National School of Drama, New Delhi
Occupation Actress (theatre, film, television)
Years active 1970s–2021
Spouse Hemant Rege
Notable awards Padma Shri (2008); three National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress; Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

Background and Training

Surekha Sikri was educated at Aligarh Muslim University before moving to the National School of Drama in New Delhi, from which she graduated in 1971. She subsequently joined the NSD Repertory Company, where she worked through the 1970s and built her foundational reputation as a stage actress in Hindi and Urdu theatre productions in Delhi.

Career

Theatre

Sikri's earliest professional work was on stage, performing in productions directed by leading Indian theatre figures. Her stage career, sustained over several decades, earned her the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to Indian theatre.

Film

She entered Hindi cinema with Kissa Kursi Ka (1977) and went on to appear in a range of parallel and mainstream films. She received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress three times:

  • For Tamas (1988), directed by Govind Nihalani.
  • For Mammo (1995), directed by Shyam Benegal.
  • For Badhaai Ho (2018), directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, in which she played the grandmother Durga Devi Kaushik.

Her other notable films include Sardari Begum (1996), Zubeidaa (2001), Raincoat (2004), and Sarfarosh (1999). She frequently collaborated with directors associated with India's parallel cinema, including Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani.

Television

Sikri appeared in several major television serials. She was widely recognised for her portrayal of the matriarch Kalyani Devi in the long-running Star Plus serial Balika Vadhu (2008–2016), a role for which she won an Indian Television Academy Award. Earlier television credits include Just Mohabbat, Banegi Apni Baat, and Doordarshan productions from the 1980s and 1990s.

Timeline

  • 1945: Born on 19 April.
  • 1971: Graduated from the National School of Drama.
  • 1977: Film debut in Kissa Kursi Ka.
  • 1988: First National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress (Tamas).
  • 1995: Second National Film Award (Mammo).
  • 2008: Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India; began Balika Vadhu.
  • 2018: Third National Film Award (Badhaai Ho).
  • 2020: Suffered a brain stroke, affecting her health.
  • 2021: Died on 16 July in Mumbai following a cardiac arrest.

Personal Life

Surekha Sikri was married to theatre director Hemant Rege, who predeceased her. The couple had a son. In her later years she lived in Mumbai and continued to take on selective acting work despite declining health.

Significance

Sikri is regarded as one of the most accomplished character actresses of Indian cinema and television. Her career bridged the parallel cinema movement of the 1980s and 1990s with mainstream Hindi cinema and popular television, and her three National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress place her among the most decorated performers in that category. Her later success in Badhaai Ho at the age of 73 brought renewed attention to senior actresses in Hindi cinema.

References

  • Directorate of Film Festivals, Government of India — National Film Awards announcements.
  • Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India — Padma Awards list, 2008.
  • Sangeet Natak Akademi — list of awardees.
  • National School of Drama — alumni records.