Remembering Surekha Sikri Through 5 Characters She Immortalised, From Dadisa In ‘Balika Vadhu’ To Faiyyazi In ‘Mammo’
India woke up today to the sad news that Surekha Sikri, veteran theatre, film and television actor, had passed away from a cardiac arrest at 75. The younger lot would remember her from her award-winning role in the Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao starrer Badhaai Ho. Or the role of Dadisa on the TV show Balika Vadhu, which made her a household name, in a character that was loved and hated, perhaps with equal measure. But the late Surekha Sikri has had a tremendous, four decade long career in the entertainment industry, during which she gave some memorable performances on screen and on stage…. Performances that won her three National Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and more, alongside love and adulation for her peers and audiences alike.
Surekha Sikri graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD) in 1971, and was a member of the NSD Repertory Committee, which is the professional performing wing of the institute, for over a decade before she moved to Mumbai. She made her debut in the political satire film, Kissa Kursi Ka, in 1978. Her filmography includes several arthouse titles as well as mainstream films in which she played powerful supporting characters, such as Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Tamas, Mammo, Zubeidaa, Sarfarosh, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Raincoat, Badhaai Ho and most recently, the Netflix horror anthology, Ghost Stories. On television too, Surekha Sikri was a face most 80s and 90s kids would associate with shows like Banegi Apni Baat, or peak authoritarian characters, like the principal in Just Mohabbat and of course, Dadisa from Balika Vadhu.
Her loss is a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry, and here, we look back in fond remembrance at five of Surekha Sikri’s characters that she immortalised with her brilliant performances, notably her familiar voice that is nigh unforgettable.
Dadisa – Balika Vadhu
It’s a testament to the acting prowess of Surekha Sikri that Dadisa’s character in Balika Vadhu was so formidable and even hated by many for how she treated the child bride, Anandi, while blindly doting on her grandson. She played the matriarch of the family, who presided over it with an iron fist, and everything about her character, from the way she dressed minimally to the stern tone of her voice, became a thing. While her character was a classic example of toxic femininity born our of a cycle of misogyny rampant in our patriarchal society, there is no denying that Dadisa’s character had its moments of redemption too.
Irrespective, she was quite the primetime presence in most Indian households during Balika Vadhu’s run, and one of the most memorable Dadis of Indian television soaps.
Durga Dadi – Badhaai Ho
Surekha Sikri as the Dadi in Badhaai Ho was like watching an antagonist come to an alternate universe and then use their powers for good. Quite the opposite of Dadisa, this Dadi indulged in banter galore with her bahu, played by Neena Gupta. But when the time came, she shocked us all with her open and modern views about a taboo subject like sex. Her frankness was entertaining and refreshing and her performance much appreciated by critics and audience alike. She even won both a National Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor (Female) for Badhaai Ho! The National Award win would make her the only actress to have one the Best Supporting Actress Award thrice.
Also Read: Surekha Sikri Says Barring Senior Actors From Shooting In The Pandemic Is Unfair. Other Actors Agree
Mrs. Pandit – Just Mohabbat
There’s an unspoken understanding that you’re not supposed to like most school principals, because of their stern demeanour. And Mrs. Pandit from Just Mohabbat, if the 90s kids reading this might remember, was exactly like that, not someone you’d instantly warm up to. But just like Dadisa, she grew on us!
Tamas – Rajjo
This 1988 period film from Govind Nihalani was adapted from a novel by the same name, and was set in Pakistan, with the Partition as a backdrop. Surekha Sikri played an important supporting role, of Rajjo, and even won critical acclaim and a National Award for it. However, in a recent Filmfare interview, she had revealed that she didn’t like herself in that film!
“When I watched it later, I found myself lacking in emotion. I underplayed it too much. I can’t help being self-critical. I’m always looking for mistakes in my body language and voice inflexion,” she said.
Faiyyazi – Mammo and Zubeidaa
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal put forth a beautiful trilogy that told deeply complex stories of Muslim women—Mammo, Sardari Begum and Zubeidaa. And Surekha Sikri was in all three of them. In Mammo, which is regarded one of Benegal’s best works, Farida Jalal played the titular Mammo, a Pakistani woman who lives on a temporary visa in her sister Faiyyazi’s house in Bombay, and together they raise Mammo’s teenage grandchild, Riyaz. The film chronicles Mammo’s struggle to avoid her deportation, and when that happens, her sister Faiyyazi and grandson Riyaz’s attempts to bring her back to India.
This is the second film for which Surekha Sikri won a National Award.
With Zubeidaa, Shyam Benegal carried forth the story of the family from Mammo. A now grown up Riyaz tries to find out more about her deceased mother, who is Zubeidaa. The film, which starred Karisma Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and Rekha, cast Rajat Kapoor to play the older Riyaz, while bringing back Farida Jalal as Mammo and Surekha Sikri as Faiyyazi.
Rest in peace, Surekha Sikri. You shall be missed!
