Actor Sidharth Shukla was cremated this afternoon in Mumbai, a day after his sudden death shocked his fans across the country and the entertainment world. His body was taken from the hospital in a flower-decked ambulance to the crematorium, where a large number of his relatives, friends and colleagues were present.

The actor’s autopsy was completed last night at a Mumbai hospital and “no injuries were found”, sources said, adding that a viscera analysis will establish the cause of his death.

The 40-year-old TV and movie actor’s death on Thursday, reportedly after a cardiac arrest, has caused shock and grief in the TV and film fraternity.

A team of three doctors carried out the post-mortem, which was recorded on video. Sources say “no external or internal injuries were found”.

The viscera samples have been sent for a chemical analysis. “A histopathology will be done and only after that the cause of death will be clear,” said the sources.

Sidharth Shukla was brought to Mumbai’s Cooper Hospital around 10:30 am on Thursday by his family. He was brought dead, said the hospital.

Initial reports suggested a heart attack but doctors said the autopsy would establish the cause of death.

According to his friends, Sidharth Shukla had complained of uneasiness on the previous night. He took something to eat and drink and went back to bed.

When he did not wake up in the morning, the family doctor was called; the doctor advised the family to take him to hospital immediately.

The actor’s family issued a statement through his public relations team requesting the media to “give his family and loved ones space and let them grieve”.

“We are all in pain. We are as shocked as you are. And all of us knew Sidharth was a private person, so please respect his privacy, his family’s privacy. And please pray for his soul to rest in peace,” it said.

Sidharth Shukla began his career as a model and made his acting debut with a lead role in the TV show ‘Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na’. He appeared on shows such as ‘Jaane Pehchaane Se… Ye Ajnabbi’, ‘Love U Zindagi’ before hitting the big time with blockbuster show ‘Balika Vadhu’.

His popularity soared after he won reality show ‘Bigg Boss 13’. One of his last public appearances was on the ongoing ‘Bigg Boss OTT’.

He also participated in ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6’ and ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7’.

In 2014, Sidharth Shukla made his Bollywood debut with the Karan Johar-produced ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’.