Sidharth Malhotra’s father and former Merchant Navy captain, passed away after a prolonged illness. The actor remembered him as a man of honesty, integrity and strength, calling him his ‘first hero and silent guide’ while paying an emotional tribute.
Sidharth Malhotra’s father, Sunil Malhotra, died after a prolonged illness, apparently aged 80. On Tuesday, February 17, the actor shared the news on social media. Along with a set of family photographs, he remembered his father as a man defined by “honesty, integrity, and culture.”
In his note, Sidharth wrote about the kind of life his father lived - one rooted in values that did not shift with circumstances. Not many know but Sunil Malhotra was a former Merchant Navy captain, who lived a life of dignity and honesty.
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Who was Sunil Malhotra, Sidharth Malhotra’s father?
Sunil Malhotra was a former Merchant Navy captain and a central influence in Sidharth Malhotra’s life. He was married to Rimma Malhotra. Over the years, Sidharth has spoken about how his father’s illness shaped many moments within the family.
Last year, he shared a personal memory that stayed with him. At the time, his father had been unwell for a while. In the middle of that, Sidharth recalled being harsh with his mother over something as small as a medicine dosage. Later, he realised she had been handling everything on her own while he was in Mumbai trying to build his career.
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Sidharth Malhotra’s heartfelt tribute for father Sunil Malhotra
Sidharth Malhotra often referred to his father as his “first hero and silent guide.” Looking back at his journey, he shared how his father once commanded the seas as a Merchant Navy captain. Later, when illness took over, he faced it with the same quiet courage. Even after a stroke left him confined to a wheelchair, the Vvan actor wrote that his father’s spirit did not give way. It stayed intact, dignified and strong. Calling him his greatest source of strength, the actor said that his father’s integrity is now what he carries forward, and his positivity continues to hold the family together.
On Tuesday, Sidharth paid a final tribute to his father with a deeply personal note. He described him as a man of “rare honesty, integrity and culture,” someone who never let his values bend, no matter what life brought his way. “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," the actor wrote in an emotional post.
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When Sidharth Malhotra spoke about his father’s illness
In a conversation with influencer Lilly Singh last year, Sidharth opened up about the emotional weight of his father’s condition. He also spoke about how much his mother had taken on as 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.
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Who Was Sunil Malhotra?
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 Malhotra's father's last rites took place on Tuesday in Delhi.
