Popular Indian TV and film actor Siddharth Shukla has died in Mumbai at the age of 40.

A doctor from the Cooper hospital told the BBC that he was already dead when he was brought in on Thursday.

He said the cause of his death was not clear, but the Indian press reported that he had died from a heart attack.

Shukla’s colleagues from TV and film industry have paid tributes and also expressed shock that he died at such a young age.

Shukla starred in a number of hit TV shows and also acted in Bollywood films.

He made his TV debut with Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na in 2008 and went on to act in many more shows.

In 2014, he made his Bollywood debut in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. The film was successful and brought even more fame to the actor.

His popularity soared further after he won the 13th edition of the popular reality TV show Bigg Boss – based on the American show Big Brother – in 2019.

He also won another reality TV show Khataron ke Khiladi – based on American series Fear Factor – and subsequently went on to host his own shows like Savdhaan India and India’s Got Talent.