Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS): Model-turned-actor Arpit Ranka, who has known Sidharth Shukla since his early days and been his gym buddy, remembered the late actor in this conversation with IANS. In Arpit's own words:

Today, in the morning I was entering the gym when I received the message that Sidharth is no more. I knew Sidharth since 2004 when both of us were models. We would shoot for fashion designers, ad campaigns, ramp modelling and our lifestyle was around fitness, maintaining our body and look like any other models back then.

I lived in Andheri all these years in the same compound that Sidharth lived and we would work out together whenever we got time; since after a point of time both of us got busy with acting. I was mostly busy shooting mythological shows whereas Sidharth was into a daily soap.

When it comes to our friendship, since we knew each other before we built our careers, this bonding was very different. 'Dost tha wo mera, dost'. Sidharth was one of those friends who never bring popularity or success in between friendships, he was a sports enthusiast, a health-conscious yet full of life guy.

After the hard work of all these years, he started getting success and this was the peak of his career. The way things happened suddenly, just shook all of us.

When I got the message of Sidharth's demise, I just felt so numb, I stepped out of the gym and sat outside for a while. I am yet to process the fact that I will never get a chance to meet my friend from my days of struggle, my gym buddy! Still now, his vivid smile, his voice - I can hear everything in my ear.

(As told to Arundhuti Banerjee)