'I didn't want to live': Shekhar Suman gets teary-eyed as he recalls 10-year-old son Aayush's death

Shekhar Suman

Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman, who is all set to make the biggest comeback on screen with the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-helmed web series ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar' recently got emotional as he recalled the death of his 10-year-old son Aayush.

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Shekhar said, "Jab I lost my son, Aayush. Das saal ki umar main maine jab usse kho diya tha toh main zindagi se poori tarah tabah aur barbaad ho gaya tha. Mujhe jeena hi nahi tha. I lost a part of my heart who was dearest to me. Aur main zameen par sar patak ke roya tha. Phir uske baad mujhe jeene ki iccha bhi nahi thi."

Shekhar couldn't hold back his tears and said that he lost interest in chasing success and money after his son's demise. "Main bejaan ho gaya tha. Ek dikhaave ki duniya this jahan main hass muskura deta tha ya for economic necessity kyuki mujhe ghar chalana tha. Par mujhe jeene ki ichcha nahi thi," said the actor.

Shekhar's son Aayush died due to a heart ailment in 1995.

Over the years, Shekhar has worked on projects like 'Bhoomi', 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge', and 'Poll Khol' among others. In ‘Heeramandi' Shekhar plays the role of Zulfikar. Interestingly his younger son Adhyayan Suman is also a part of it.

Describing his character, Shekhar Suman said in an earlier statement, "A towering figure of power and authority, he commands attention effortlessly. I'm eager for the audiences to witness the tale of Heeramandi that's close to all our hearts. It was an exhilarating and enriching experience working with a maestro and an auteur like Mr.Bhansali."

The upcoming series is set amid multiple power struggles in Heeramandi, Lahore (now part of Pakistan), and more generally in undivided, pre-independence India, where anti-colonial freedom movements were emerging.

The series, which marks Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut in the web world, also stars Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Sharmin Segal, Fardeen Khan, and Taha Shah Badussha in pivotal roles.

'Heeramandi' is set to premiere on Netflix on May 1.

(With inputs from ANI)