After learning about her Tera Yaar Hoon Main co-actor Nitin Chauhaan’s untimely passing on Thursday, Vibhuti Thakur shared a heartfelt tribute, posting a photo of them together along with the words, “Rest in peace, my dear. I’m really shocked and sad. I wish you had the strength to face all the troubles. I wish you were mentally strong like your body (sic).”

The actress, who was working on a project aboard a cruise, was unreachable for immediate comment but managed to return to Mumbai briefly, where she shared her thoughts with us.

Vibhuti said, “I was on a work assignment on a cruise when I got the news; I was in Lakshadweep at the time. Hearing about Nitin’s passing was shattering and devastating. The hardest part was that, as soon as I heard, I tried to contact mutual friends, but my phone lost connection. It left me feeling helpless, and all I could do was post my grief on social media. Although I didn’t know much about his family, I remember his daughter Amaira is about to turn eight on November 20. Nitin was the only son of his parents, and my heart goes out to them, to Amaira, and to his wife. Accepting that he’s gone is so difficult. I don’t have the contact details of his parents or wife, and I just don’t have the courage to dial his number. Nitin was incredibly health-conscious; he would work out for hours and was physically strong, but I only wish he had the emotional support he needed. Depression is truly heart-breaking because it’s so often invisible.”

She continued, “I only returned to Mumbai for a few hours this morning, and now I’m heading back to the cruise. I deeply wish I could meet his parents and wife, but my commitments make it impossible right now.”

Reflecting on her memories with Nitin, she shared, “We met on the set of Tera Yaar Hoon Main. He was a sweet, caring, and happy-go-lucky guy, and I have such fond memories with him. I remember once when we were filming in Rajkot, he told me about a haunted place and convinced me to visit it with him. I didn’t realize our other co-actors were hiding there for a prank. I got so scared I started crying, but he hugged me and reassured me it was all in fun. The last time we met, he had just opened an ice-cream shop and took a few of us there to celebrate. Since then, we hadn’t seen each other due to our busy schedules, though we stayed in touch through WhatsApp.”