Television actors connect with the audience at a whole other level as they are seen by fans every day on their TV screens. Naturally, when their favorite TV actors leave for their heavenly abode unexpectedly, it leaves fans in a state of utter shock.
The recent back-to-back deaths of TV actors, Nitesh Pandey, Aditya Singh Rajput, and Vaibhavi Upadhyaya, came like a sudden bolt from the blue for the entire TV industry and the audience. Condolence messages poured from the entire nation, and people expressed their grief and sudden shock over their unexpected deaths. The common thing between these three deaths is their young age while this is surprising this is not the first time it has happened.
Death, whosoever it may be, is a matter of grief and heartache! Losing someone you love and look up to is an irreparable loss. Whether it be family or one’s favorite actor, grief and pain can’t be compared. Over the years, many young TV actors like Sidharth Shukla , Pratyusha Banerjee, and Tunisha Sharma have died due to health issues or other reasons. Keep reading to find out who are the other TV actors who died at a young age and the reasons behind their death.
Nitesh Pandey (51 Years)
A known face in the Television industry for the last 25 years, Nitesh Pandey breathed his last on 23 May 2023 due to cardiac arrest. Nitesh was last seen in the hit ongoing show Anupama as Dheeraj Kapoor. Nitesh had a flourishing career; his acting journey began in 1990 when he started doing theatre. In these 33 years, Nitesh has been a part of many hit TV shows and movies.
He will be remembered for his performances in Om Shanti Om , Badhai Do, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyara Pyara, Manzilein Apani Apani, Justajoo, Durgesh Nandini, Saaya, and Astitva… Ek Prem Kahani among others.
Also Read: Indian Television Industry Lost Another Star, Nitesh Pandey is No More
Aditya Singh Rajput (32 Years)
Splitsvilla 9 fame TV actor Aditya Singh Rajput was found dead in his home on 22 May 2023. Aditya Rajput has many followers on Instagram, and he is also famous in the inner circle of the television industry. He was a regular at page 3 events and glamorous parties. Aditya started as a model and slowly progressed to acting. He has been a part of over 300 commercials and some TV shows and films as well.
In the last few years, Aditya paid more attention to casting and his other businesses. Aditya became a casting coordinator and gave opportunities to many new talents. The reason for Aditya’s untimely death is unknown. Initially, there were reports of a drug overdose, but Aditya’s mom denied it and asked the media to stop circulating false news. The police have filed an ADR (accidental death report) and are waiting for the autopsy results to find answers about the cause of Aditya’s death.
Vaibhavi Upadhyaya (33 Years)
After the news of Nitesh Pandey and Aditya Singh Rajput’s death, when the news of Vaibhavi Upadhyaya’s death circulated on 23 May 2023, it left everyone shell shocked. Losing three young talents in the Television industry in just two days came as a shocker. Vaishali was known for the role of ‘Jasmine’ in the popular TV show “Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai.” She was last seen in Timir (2023) and Chhapaak (2020).
Vaibhavi was traveling to Himachal Pradesh with her fiancé when their car lost control on a narrow road when a truck nudged it, and it fell into a valley. The car toppled, and Jasmin suffered serious external injuries and internal bleeding. Her fiancé got saved as he was wearing the seat belt while she wasn’t. Fellow actor Majethia, who attended Vaibhavi’s funeral on 24 May 2023, said, ‘One should take lessons from this incident always to wear a seatbelt.’
Sushant Singh Rajput (34 Years)
Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was a shocker for the nation, it happened during the peak of covid 19 pandemic. Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on 14 June 2020. Ever since his death, there were many speculations about the reason for his suicide even after having a promising career. Sushant started his career with TV shows in 2008. Within 5 years, he starred in Kai Po Che! as a main lead. The movie got Sushant immense love from the audience. He went on to do 10 more movies post his debut.
Also Read: Sushant Singh Rajput Movie List – Best Movies of Kai Po Che Actor
Sushant’s death started conversations about the treatment of outsiders by the industry and mental health. Many believe that Sushant was forced to take such a drastic step as he wasn’t treated well by the bigwigs of the film industry because he was an outsider that affected the projects that came his way. Others believed that his troubled personal life was the reason. Whatever the truth may be, we lost a talented actor too soon.
Sidharth Shukla (40 Years)
Tv Actor Sidharth Shukla rose to fame after he won Bigg Boss Season 13 . He has been working in the Tv industry and movies since 2008, but his Bigg Boss 13 took his fame to a whole new level. His personality and friendship with fellow contestant Shehnaz Kaur Gill was the main highlight of the show.
Post the show, Sidharth worked on many big banner projects and had a promising future in the showbiz industry. But he couldn’t live with the new-found fame for a long time; within a year he succumbed to a cardiac arrest on 2 September 2021.
Vaishali Takkar (30 Years)
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Sasural Simar Ka actress, Vaishali Takkar died by suicide on 15 October 2022. It was reported that Vaishali was blackmailed by her ex-boyfriend, Rahul Navlani, and his wife, Disha Navlani. They even revealed some indecent videos of Vaishali that Rahul recorded without her knowledge, to Vaishali’s fiancé Mitesh Gaur. Mitesh called off the marriage after receiving that video. Vaishali left behind a 12-page suicide note that mentions physical and mental torture by Rahul and Disha.
Deepesh Bhan (41 Years)
Malkhan from Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai passed away at the age of 41 on 22 July 2022. It was reported that the actor was playing cricket when he collapsed suddenly. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. His sudden death shocked his fans, family, and friends as he was deemed healthy and had no health issues whatsoever.
Divya Bhatnagar (34 Years)
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai fame actress Divya Bhatnagar passed away following a cardiac arrest on 7 December 2020. She was hospitalized seven to eight days before her death because of covid – 19. Though she had a natural death, her brother found a note in Divya’s cupboard revealing her unhappiness in her last days. She mentioned in the note that her husband, Gagan Gabru, used to torture her physically and mentally.
Kushaal Punjabi (37 Years)
On 26 December 2019, Kushaal Punjabi was found dead in his apartment, sending ripples of shock to the whole Television industry. Kushaal, who was last seen in the TV show Ishq Mein Marjawan, left a suicide note where he mentioned that he doesn’t blame anybody and wants his assets to be divided equally among his parents, siblings, and son Kiaan.
However, in a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, close friends of Kushaal, Shilpa Saklani, and Apurva Agnihotri, talked about his suicide, how it affected them, and how Kushaal’s broken marriage and separation from his son took a huge toll on his mental health.
Sejal Sharma (25 Years)
25-year-old Television actress, Sejal Sharma died by suicide on 24 January 2020 at her residence on Mira Road. She was known for her performance in the show, ‘Dil Toh Happy Hai Ji’. The police recovered a suicide note from her apartment in which she mentioned that she was taking this step because of personal reasons. However, a case of accidental death was registered at the Mira Road Police Station.
Pratyusha Banerjee (24 Years)
Pratyusha Banerjee aka Anandi, from the popular show Balika Vadhu was found hanging from a fan in her Goregaon apartment on 1 April 2016. Her untimely death left her family, friends, colleagues, and fans in utter shock. Many fingers were pointed at Pratyusha’s then-boyfriend, Rahul Raj Singh, who was accused of being violent with Pratyusha by her family and industry friends.
However, Raj denied such claims, and recently, in April 2023, he said, “I had a party with her just the night before. I didn’t provoke her, but she was worried about her parents’ debt. I do not consider it suicide. Pratyusha was making hanging videos to scare me. She often used to do this; only then must her foot have slipped.”
Tunisha Sharma (20 Years)
Tunisha Sharma was just 20 years old when she was found dead on the sets of her show Alibaba – Dastaan-e-Kabul. Her suicide came as a storm for the entire entertainment industry. Tunisha had a huge fan following on social media and her fans were shocked by how someone who always looked so positive could take the step of taking her own life.
The caption on her last Instagram post was, “Those who are driven by passion don’t stop”. Fans and industry peeps expressed their shock and grief over the unfortunate incident in the comment section. It was also reported that 15 days before her death, Tunisha had a breakup with her boyfriend, Sheezan Khan who is going to appear in Khatron ke Khiladi Season 13 . Police are investigating Sheezan’s involvement in the matter.
Jiah Khan (24 Years)
Jiah Khan was found dead by suicide in her apartment on 3 June 2013. The 24-year-old actor left a six-page letter where she mentioned how unhappy she was with her boyfriend, Suraj Pancholi. The letter was found by her family and handed over to the investigating authority. Jiah’s sudden death shook everyone to the core; such a young talented actress died so soon.
At that time, conversations about mental health were still taboo, but many questions were raised about what led Jiah Khan to take such an extreme step. In April 2023, Suraj’s statement was recorded, and he answered 558 questions. The CBI court cleared Sooraj Pancholi of the abatement to suicide charges as filed by Rabia , Jiah’s mom.
Jiah made her debut in the Hindi Film Industry with a film alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Nishabd. She was last seen in Sajid Khan’s Housefull .
Suicides by such young actors started the mental health debates about how non-serious we are as a society about such topics. Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions about suicide and mental health;
FAQ’s
Ans: Pay attention to the following symptoms in your close ones and do not take them lightly;
If they constantly talk about the lack of willingness to continue living or ending their life.
If they constantly make negative statements about their life and show little to no interest in planning for the future.
If they start spending time alone and don’t want to engage in social responsibilities.
If you notice sudden changes in their behavior and lifestyle, which include changes in their sleep pattern, eating habits, sudden mood fluctuations, and laziness in taking care of their hygiene.
While these symptoms may vary from person to person, they were some of the common ones.
Ans: It is very important to act quickly and not take things lightly once you identify the symptoms. You can try and talk to them and ask about what they are going through. If you feel that they might not confide in you then inform someone they are close to, so that they can open up to someone.
If possible, get them professional help as soon as possible. Only if they are willing can you try to persuade them but don’t force them, else they might shut you out as well.
Keep in mind that they are in a very sensitive emotional and mental space right now, so try to make them feel that you love them and are there for them.
If it’s possible, do not leave them alone and take away any sharp or dangerous objects from them.
Ans: First of all, there is nothing wrong with you; many people go through dark mental phases. We would advise you to take professional help as soon as possible. While your loved ones might try everything to make you feel better, professional help and therapy sessions will give you a newer perspective on everything.
Seeking help is not a sign of weakness but of utmost strength. Below is the list of suicide prevention helplines that you can contact for further help;
iCall – 9152987821 (You can call them from Monday to Saturday between 10 Am and 8 Pm. They offer their services in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, and Tamil.)
AASRA – 9820466726 (You can reach out to them 24×7 in English and Hindi.)
Apart from these, several foundations offer online counseling and therapy, like Vandrevala Foundation , Manastha , HopeQure , Talkspace , Samvedna Care , and many more. Even if might be very hard to believe it at the moment, just know that you are loved and valued, and your presence matters. If you don’t want to seek professional help, then reach out to someone in your life whom you can trust and feel safe with.
