Media365
Actor-turned-television presenter Shekhar Suman recently took a trip down memory lane, recalling the most difficult period of his life when his eldest son, Aayush, was diagnosed with a serious disease and eventually succumbed to it. Shekhar shared that he struggled to find work during that time and eventually had to take television offers, despite being initially uninterested, because he had no other option.
“I discovered my son was terminally ill. Firstly, I had no work at that time. On top of that, we received such tragic news. I was completely ruined and destroyed. I thought I had nothing left in life. I wasn’t earning that much to look after him. I didn’t want to take money from home either. Those were very trying times,” he recalled during a conversation with The Lallantop.
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Shekhar continued, “Even then, I didn’t want to do television. Whenever my phone rang and I picked it up hoping it would be a movie offer, it mostly turned out to be series (soap opera) offers. One day, I got a call from director Anand Mahendroo saying he was making a serial titled Dekh Bhai Dekh. When I told him I wasn’t interested in doing serials, he asked me to consider it first and informed me that Jaya Bachchan was producing it and that many big people were behind it.”
Shekhar Suman eventually took on the project, played a key role in it, and never had to look back.
However, those were “difficult times,” as his son Aayush’s health was deteriorating by the day. “I still don’t know how I did it all (continued working). They kept a telephone on set because I needed it so that my family could keep me updated. Whenever the phone rang, I picked it up with a pounding heart, hoping it wasn’t bad news. After attending the call, I had to go back and do the show, which was a light-hearted comedy. It was difficult,” he shared.
‘Papa, I don’t want to go’: Shekhar Suman recalls Aayush’s words
Shekhar continued, “Before his death, he had started reciting Sanskrit shlokas. He was 11. I don’t know how he did it. He said he saw a golden light coming, held my hand and told me, ‘Papa, I don’t want to go. Please save me.’ Then he started reciting some Sanskrit shlokas, and we were flustered. He then told each one of us who were with him at that time, including our driver, that he loved us. He was like an angel; he was a beautiful child.”
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“I still don’t know how that tragedy happened to us. But I guess that’s destiny. There’s no bigger tragedy that can befall parents than losing their children. Even now, we dedicate 2-3 hours just thinking and talking about him, every day. It’s a wound that will never heal,” he said.
Revealing that he lost interest in work and everything else in general after his death, Shekhar continued, “Once he was gone, what use were money or fame to me? But I continued working because I had to take care of my remaining family.”
‘My wife begged doctors to let him go’
Recalling Aayush’s final days, Shekhar Suman said the child’s condition reached such a bad stage that his wife, Alka Suman, requested the doctors to pull the plug on him. “His condition worsened so much that at one point, my wife begged the doctors to let him go. I told her, ‘What are you saying? We will fight till the end.’ But she said, ‘This is the end. Let him go; he is suffering a lot.’ She was the ‘savvy mother who begged for her son’s death.’ She was right, we couldn’t bear seeing him suffer like that,” he added.
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Disclaimer: This article touches on sensitive personal accounts of severe illness, grief, and emotional distress surrounding the loss of a child. It is shared purely as personal storytelling and reflection, rather than medical or healthcare advice. If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time or experiencing emotional distress, support and professional guidance are available.
