Sidharth Malhotra’s emotional realisation about his mother’s sacrifices amid father’s long illness
5 min readNew DelhiFeb 18, 2026 09:25 AM IST
Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra is mourning the loss of his father, Sunil Malhotra, who passed away in New Delhi on February 14 after a prolonged illness. A former Merchant Navy captain, Sunil Malhotra had been battling health issues for some time.
When Sidharth Malhotra spoke about his father’s illness
Last year, in a conversation with Lilly Singh, Sidharth had reflected on his father’s condition and the emotional toll it took on the family — particularly his mother, who had been his primary caregiver.
“My father’s not been healthy for a while, and me being may be scared or angry about that at times, tend to be a little more harsh on my mother because she’s the one who’s taking care of the meds. My father’s not keeping that well to do that and within that I realised… she suddenly… we got up one morning and just having coffee and tea in Delhi and she started speaking about 20 years back…what she had to deal with when we were much younger or when I wasn’t there or when I was trying to make my own life,” he said.
Sidharth on his mother being the primary caregiver
Sidharth said he later understood how much she had shielded the family from the full extent of his father’s struggles over the years.
He added, “She would hide that information from us as to you know what my father’s going through and I felt slightly ashamed of the fact that I didn’t really give her that credit for the years building up to my father’s health. I have never really spoken about that and it’s not that a secret, it’s just today after so many years, I realised that during that period, my mother had made so many sacrifices that I wasn’t aware of, and I had to deal with her with far more sensitivity and love and, yeah, hopefully now I make up for it.”
Sidharth’s tribute to his father
On Tuesday, the actor paid a heartfelt tribute to his father through an emotional social media post, remembering him as a man of “rare honesty, integrity and culture.”
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He wrote, “He was a man of rare honesty, integrity and culture. He lived by values that never bent. Discipline without harshness. Strength without ego. Positivity, even when life tested him beyond measure. From commanding the seas as a Merchant Navy Captain to facing illness with quiet courage, he never compromised, never lost his grace. Even when the stroke confined him to a wheelchair, his spirit stood tall. Papa, your integrity is my inheritance. Your strength guides me every day. Your positivity still holds this family together. You left us peacefully in your sleep, but the space you leave behind is immeasurable. I am who I am because of you. And I will carry your name, your values and your light forward always. Love you Dad.”
Sidharth on fatherhood and his dad’s absence during childhood
Now a father to a baby girl, he had earlier spoken about how parenthood reshaped his priorities. During a conversation with Barkha Dutt, he shared that his daily routine now revolves around his daughter.
“That’s our routine, waking up with her stretching. Life has definitely changed for the better ever since I became a girl dad. She’s in her best phase right now. I have never lost so many arguments to someone who can’t speak. I realised that I am no longer the hero of the house; she’s the superstar.”
Sidharth also said that his father’s career in the Merchant Navy meant he wasn’t always present while he was growing up and he wants to be an active part of his child’s journey.
“I am improvising in the role as much as I can right now. We (today’s parents) have a better work-life balance, or at least the intent to do that. My father was not involved intricately while I was growing up; but we want to be a part of this process. So there’s this shift.”
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Sidharth married actor Kiara Advani on February 7, 2023 in Jaisalmer. The couple welcomed their daughter, Saraayah, on July 15, 2025.
