Shekhar Suman Recalls Aayush’s Last Words After Losing Him at 11
Shekhar Suman opens up about son Aayush's terminal illness, his final words and the TV comedy he joined while living a parent's worst fear.
A comedy set with a telephone nearby
Shekhar Suman has opened up about losing his eldest son, Aayush, to a terminal illness when the boy was 11. Speaking to The Lallantop, Shekhar said the diagnosis came during a period when he was already out of work and felt he had “nothing left in life.”
He had been waiting for film offers, but the calls kept coming from television. Eventually, he said yes to Dekh Bhai Dekh, the sitcom directed by Anand Mahendroo and produced by Jaya Bachchan. Mahendroo had asked him to reconsider after Shekhar initially said no to serials.
On set, a telephone was kept close so his family could keep him updated about Aayush. Shekhar said every ring made his heart race. After answering, he would walk back into a light-hearted comedy.
Aayush’s final words
In his last days, Aayush held Shekhar’s hand and said, “Papa, I don’t want to go. Please save me.” The child then began reciting Sanskrit shlokas, something Shekhar says he still cannot explain.
Aayush also told everyone around him, including the family’s driver, that he loved them. Shekhar described him as “an angel.”
The interview reveals a few key turns:
- Aayush was just 11 when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
- Shekhar had no film work at the time; most inbound calls were TV offers.
- He accepted Dekh Bhai Dekh after Mahendroo told him Jaya Bachchan was behind it.
- His wife, Alka Suman, later begged doctors to let their son go as his suffering worsened.
The grief that never left
Shekhar said that after Aayush died, professional success lost its meaning. “Once he was gone, what use were money or fame to me?” he recalled. He kept working only because his remaining family depended on him.
He also described the moment Alka asked the doctors to stop Aayush’s suffering. Shekhar first insisted they would fight till the end, but he now accepts that she was right.
Even now, Shekhar says the family spends two to three hours every day talking about Aayush. He called the loss “a wound that will never heal.”
For viewers who grew up watching him make them laugh, the interview adds a quieter layer to a familiar television face. The next time you rewatch an old comedy, remember that the laughter may have had a very different cost backstage.
