Divya Bharti, a short life and a tragic death

Remember the song Aisi Deewangi Dekhi Nahi Kahin from the movie Deewana (1992)? The song that still reverberates in the minds of people today, reminds us of the glorious, short-lived career of actress Divya Bharti. In a movie that had two male actors (Shah Rukh Khan and Rishi Kapoor), Divya made herself heard. Today marks the 29th death anniversary of Divya Bharti.

Divya Bharti was also one of the highest paid actresses of her time. Her co-actors still reminisce her as a sheer talent on screen. Shah Rukh Khan, with whom Divya worked in Deewana, once said in an interview, ”One of the finest actresses I have worked with is Divya Bharti.”

On screen, Divya would let her eyes do the talking. She resembled the then top actress Sridevi. Within 2 years of her debut, Divya had landed 14 films. In an industry that was dominated by Tabu, Juhi Chawla, and Karisma Kapoor, Divya had marked a separate space for herself.

She tasted success at the mere age of 19 with back-to-back superhits. From making her debut with Telugu movie Bobli Raja to starring in Hindi film Vishwatma (1992), Divya was well-known. Her first famous song, Saat Samundar from Vishwatma got her the taste of overnight fame. The song is still famous today for Divya’s performance and the music.

But as fate would have it, she couldn’t survive to enjoy the success she had achieved in such a short span of time. On April 5, 1993, Divya Bharti died in a tragic accident. Her sudden death sent shockwaves across the country. Divya Bharti had bid goodbye to the world. 

Here are a few highlights of her career and personal life:

1. DEBUT AT 19

Divya Bharti made her debut with the Telugu film Bobli Raja in 1988. The film was offered to her by Telugu producer D Ramanaidu opposite his son Daggubati Venkatesh. The film was a huge hit. It still remains one of the iconic Telugu movies ever made.

2. MARCH TO BOLLYWOOD

While Bharti had become a sensation in the South, many Hindi film producers wanted to sign her for their movies. In 1992, Bharti appeared in Rajiv Rai’s Vishwatma opposite Sunny Deol. The film though was an average performer, Bharti’s performance in the movie stood out. Her groovy steps in the song Saat Samundar shot her to fame.

In the same year, she appeared in David Dhawan’s Shola Aur Shabnam (1992) opposite Govinda. The film was a huge box office hit.

3. FILMFARE FACE OF THE YEAR 1992

1992 marked another milestone for Divya Bharti, when the movie Deewana (1992) was released. Bharti starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan and Rishi Kapoor in Deewana. The movie marked the debut of Shah Rukh Khan who had replaced actor Arman Kohli for the role. As destiny would have it, both Shah Rukh and Bharti’s chemistry worked like a charm.

The movie fetched Divya Bharti the Filmfare Face of the Year award in 1992. Shah Rukh Khan also received the Filmfare Best Male Debut award for his role. In total, the movie got nine nominations at the 39th Filmfare Awards, and ended up winning five of them.

4. MARRIAGE WITH SAJID NADIADWALA

Bollywood producer Sajid Nadiadwala and Divya Bharti met on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam (1992). Nadiadwala was introduced to Bharti by Govinda. Nadiadwala and Bharti fell in love. Sajid was the producer of the movie while David Dhawan was the director.

The two secretly tied the knot on May 10, 1992 at the Tulsi Apartment in Mumbai in the presence of only a few people. That included Divya’s hairdresser, her friend Sandhya, Sandhya’s husband and the cleric who performed the nikah. Divya had also converted to Islam with a new name, Sana Nadiadwala.

5. HOW DID DIVYA BHARTI DIE?

On April 5, 1993, Divya Bharti had a tragic fall from the fifth floor of her Tulsi Apartment flat in Versova. Divya was reportedly drunk at the time of the accident. Divya sat on the railing of her window, dangling her feet. It was said that she lost her balance and before she could call out for help, she fell to her death.

She was taken to the nearby Cooper Hospital where she was declared brought dead.

At the time of her death, Divya was with her fashion designer Neeta Lulla and her husband Sunil Lulla. Divya had called Neeta to finalise the dress for her next film Andolan. Her childhood help, Amrita, was also present in the apartment when Divya fell from the window.

Her final rites were conducted on April 7, 1993.