German actress Suzanne Bernert, who rose to fame in India with films like Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., The Accidental Prime Minister, and shows like Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Porus, grieves the loss of her beloved husband Akhil Mishra, who died in a freak accident. He was best known for his role as Librarian Dubey in the Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots. In an exclusive interaction with The Free Press Journal, Suzanne reminisces her time with Akhil, clarifies rumours about his demise, and more.
Amid several unverified reports of Akhil’s demise, Suzanne shares that it was an accidental fall on the kitchen floor at their Mira Road residence in Mumbai. She shares, “What actually happened we will never know. He was conscious until he was taken to the hospital... spoke to our friends Vipul, Bhavesh, and Madan who took him. In the emergency room, he could still answer questions but then he passed away due to an internal hemorrhage at Bhaktivedanta Hospital.”
Suzanne describes Akhil as a kind, non-fake human and actor. She says, “There was nothing pretentious about him. A little stubborn but if you had valid points he was also willing to change his opinion.”
Suzanne and Akhil tied the knot in 2011. Looking back on how she met the love of her life, the actress reveals, “Soon after coming to India, I was searching for some good roles and was trying my hands in theatres. During that time, I was doing Astitva Ek Prem Kahani, where I met actor Varun Badola, who recommended me for a role. For the same, I was asked to meet Akhil, who was supposed to brief me about my character. We met at a coffee shop for the first time, and I could instantly feel that we had some connection. Then, we became close friends but took some time to realise that our bond was more than just friendship. And when we finally declared our love for each other, everyone, including my mother, said that they had suspected it much before we understood.”
When asked how she’s coping with the loss, Suzanne asserts, “I am happy that I don't have any regrets about missing out on anything. We would tell each other everything. Told each other ‘I love you’. You hear how people miss out on that, but it wasn’t the case with us.”
Suzanne further adds that she misses talking to him and recalls their conversation on the day Akhil breathed his last. “We were constantly talking and while I was at a shoot in Hyderabad we spoke so many times that day...plus Whatsapp messages. On the day the accident happened he had sent me a video showing that the new hot water geyser was installed and what needed to be done,” she avers.
On a parting note, Suzanne says that her favourite memory of Akhil was simply seeing him act. “He was a dedicated actor, went into each and every character 1000 percent. He was happy and content being able to act and that the industry decided to retire him was very hard on him,” she concludes.
