How did Divya Bharti Die? Was this a case of a freak accident, a suicide, or was she killed? No one exactly knows how Divya Bharti died, turning her death into an unsolved mystery. Some even suspected a conspiracy theory involving the hand of the underworld.
The untimely death of Divya Bharti, the successful Indian actress at her peak, left the country in shock. Divya reportedly died after falling from the fifth-story window ledge of her home in Tulsi Apartments in Mumbai’s Versova, Andheri. She was only 19.
At the age of 16, Divya made her film debut in ‘Bobbili Raja’ – a Telugu movie. Released in 1990, the film went on to become a major hit.
She made her Bollywood debut in 1992 with a movie titled ‘Dil Hi To Hai’ but was noticed in her next movie titled ‘Vishwatma’. A song in the movie ‘Saat samundar Paar’ was a major hit and Divya gained popularity as ‘Saat Samundar girl’.
She holds the record for acting in the highest number of films within the span of 1992 and 1993 – at 14 Hindi films, it remains the top score any star has been able to achieve!
The actress was just eighteen when she fell in love with Sajid Nadiadwala. However, her parents did not approve of her relationship with Sajid.
On May 10, 1992, Divya and Sajid got married at a private ceremony, at Sajid’s residence in Tulsi Apartments. After her marriage, Divya Bharti converted to Islam and changed her name to Sana Nadiadwala. The marriage was kept under wraps so as to not affect her prosperous film career.
On the night of April 5, 1993, Divya Bharti had fallen from the fifth-story window ledge of Tulsi Apartments in Mumbai’s Versova, Andheri, a neighborhood that continues to be the hub of the city’s show business.
Unfolding of events on the fateful night of April 5, 1993
While the truth of that fateful night remains a mystery, here’s the apparent chain of events leading to Divya Bharti’s death —
Divya had returned from a film shoot in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, and was scheduled to meet fashion designer Neeta Lulla at the former’s residence regarding her upcoming film Andolan., which was being produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.
Divya’s foot was in a bandage as she had suffered a minor injury. She had earlier, along with her brother Kunal, had bought a four-bedroom apartment.
That evening, Neeta and her psychiatrist husband Shyam Lulla were in her apartment. Bottles of alcohol sat on the table in the drawing room. Divya, sipping rum, was reportedly in high spirits. Her housemaid, Amrita, was in the kitchen, chatting with Divya as she prepared snacks.
At one point, Divya climbed out of the apartment’s window to stand on a 12-inch ledge. She reportedly turned around to face the drawing room, lost her balance, and fell. She sustained grievous injuries but was alive when the ambulance arrived. She succumbed at the nearby hospital.
The balcony from which Divya Bharti fell to her death
The reason for her fatal fall was never established though several theories circulated in the media at that time. These included falling under the influence of alcohol, being pushed by someone, suicide, and involvement of her husband and the underworld mafia. The investigation was eventually closed in 1998 and the reason for her death was stated as Accidental Death.
Neeta Lulla’s version at the police station states, ‘I was not sure whether Divya had jumped down or whether she had slipped accidentally because the sequence of events was in a split-second.’
One of Divya’s close friends said, “Divya was very depressed that day. That’s why she canceled her outdoor schedule in Hyderabad. In fact, that evening itself she had gone shopping to buy some stuff for the new house she was buying for herself and Sajid. After that, she went to a friend’s party.
She came home from the party quite high in spirits and that’s when she and Sajid had a major fight. At that time, Sajid was leaving his house to meet a distributor in the nearby Lokhandwala area. An angry Divya screamed at him. ‘You come back in ten minutes or you won’t see me,’ she threatened. But Sajid didn’t give any importance to her warning. He left. And within minutes after that, she was on the parapet.
Neeta Lulla, who was there was petrified. She asked Divya to come inside. But Divya with already a few pegs down refused. Neeta went up to her to get her back. In order to escape from Neeta’s clutches, Divya Jumped down. But now I don’t know why Neeta is not disclosing all this.”
it was rumored that Divya and Sajid were having a lot of problems even otherwise, on the marriage front. Some say it was due to Sajid’s links with the underworld that the actress couldn’t stand.
Others insist that she was too tired of trying to hide her marriage and that was the main reason that was creating friction between her and her mother. She couldn’t take it anymore.
The reason for her fatal fall is still unknown and several conspiracy theories are circulated in the media making Divya Bharti’s death a mystery.
Even though the investigation in the death case concluded it was an accidental death, to her fans, the death of Divya Bharti remains an unsolved mystery to date.
Source — Death Of Divya Bharti – Was It An Accident, Suicide, Or Murder?
We give you a lowdown of what happened on the tragic night of 5th April 1993
by Farhana Farook April 28, 2023 April 28, 2023
Like a luminous blue star, Divya Bharti dashed across the glamour galaxy only to be snuffed out with equal vengeance. Stardust was in her veins. That’s why at 15 she dropped out from school to opt for the studios. At 16, the super-hit Bobbili Raja made her a Telugu star. At 18, she wowed as she matched energy with Shah Rukh Khan in Aisi deewangi in Deewana. Following this up with the pub rocker Saat samundar paar… Divya Bharti was a supernova. And at 19, she was no more!
For Divya Bharti, maybe, it was the case of too much too soon. The shenanigans of stardom combined with her extreme emotionality perhaps became a deadly cocktail for young Divya, who fell to her death. Accident? Foul play? Suicide? The questions have been buried under the dust of time. Yet her memory is imperishable. Remembering the dazzling star, who’s left behind an immortal trail…
STAR PRODIGY
Cherubic and chubby, li’l Divya was doll-like. More interested in films and music, academics never concerned her. While mother Mita Bharti (passed away in 2018) tried to read out her lessons to her, she’d be replicating Sridevi’s Ta Thaiya ta thaiya jig from Himmatwala in the mirror.
Still in school, Divya Bharti modeled for sarees. Next, she was signed by Kirti Kumar for Radha Ka Sangam. Kirti wanted to keep his heroine under wraps but Divya Bharti was too free a spirit to not socialize and be seen with her friends. Soon, the mahurat of Radha Ka Sangam was performed with Juhi Chawla.
When South biggie D Rama Naidu signed her for the superhit Bobbili Raja (1990), her stars changed overnight. Rajiv Rai’s potboiler Vishwatma (1992) followed, the song Saat samundar winning her immense love. She achieved further success with Shola Aur Shabnam and Deewana, the same year, the latter winning her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Dil Kya Kasoor, Jaan Se Pyaara, Geet, Dushman Zamana and Balwaan, all in 1992, positioned her as a star.
Stardom couldn’t alter her childlike innocence. Like she had no qualms dancing on the bonnet of her car during her birthday party or playing pranks on her co-stars including Shah Rukh Khan on the set of Dil Aashna Hai (1992). Though among the highest paid stars, her joys remained simple. A bar of chocolate could make her ecstatic. She made no fuss about staying in an ordinary hotel or sharing her room with her hairdresser.
Compassionate and sensitive, she’d take underprivileged children shopping and shower them with gifts. While shooting some scenes for Mohra (Raveena Tandon replaced her after her demise) in a jail, even the prisoners became her fans. Even as her career peaked, Divya fell in love with producer Sajid Nadiadwala. The two got married but kept it guarded.
TRAGEDY
That critical day, 5 April 1993, Divya Bharti was supposed to fly to Hyderabad for a Telugu film. But she bandaged her foot feigning injury (to avoid going to Hyderabad). The day began on a happy note. Divya got beauty treatment done and then went to finalize an apartment deal in Bandra with dad Om Prakash Bharti (passed away in 2021) and brother Kunal Bharti. She was told she’d get the keys on her return from Mauritius, where she was to fly soon. So elated she was about the purchase that she broke into a dance on the street. She then visited her former neighbours in Pali Hill.
Sadly, all flats had grills except hers. Cars would always be parked below but that night there was not a single one. She fell directly on the ground. Divya was rushed to R.N. Cooper hospital and was declared dead on arrival. Father Om Bharti was inconsolable. “Burn down everything. I don’t want anything, just give me back Divya,” he reportedly cried. Divya Bharti’s brother Kunal was shattered too. “I shouldn’t have left my loving sister behind. I was with her till 10 minutes before… She was depressed… I want my sister back. She was just 19. Is that the age to die?’” Stardust thus quoted Kunal.
Mother Mita wasn’t with Divya Bharti on the day she died. She’d visited her brother and then proceeded to meet her friends. She came around 3:45 am at the hopsital. Shocked beyond words, she ‘lifted the veil that covered Divya’s face, placed her head on Divya’s chest and left the hospital’. Sajid was heartbroken too. He was shifted to the l.C.C.U. He kept telling doctors, “Please do something… bring her back to life.” Divya died on April 5. She was cremated on April 7. She was dressed like a bride with sindoor in her maang. Sajid performed the last rites as husband.
Several speculations floated around her death. Of her being high on substance abuse and alcohol. Of her emotional problems. Of alleged suicide. “Divya had taken a bit of Mauritian rum. She never took drugs… But yes she had a self-destructive streak. A few months before her death, she’d gone to America. There she got upset about something and burnt herself with cigarette stubs. Those marks were there even when she died. Also, during the Radha Ka Sangam phase, she was disturbed about something and slashed her wrists. She’d harm herself in anger,” clarified her mother to Filmfare. Eventually, Divya’s death was ruled as an accident and the file closed.
LÉČENÍ
Mother Mita went through the 10 ‘worst years’ of her life after that battling depression. She became a shadow of herself having lost around 25 kilos. She took solace in spirituality and practiced meditation. Religiously inclined, she’d visit the Siddhi Vinayak Temple every day.
“Even after 20 years, people ask me what exactly happened that night. For them it’s curiosity but it gives me pain. It takes me back 20 years and I sink into a depression once again. I tell them, ‘I know as much as you do. The rest only Divya and God know,” she told Filmfare.
Seven years later, Sajid married journalist Wardha Khan. The two nurtured their bond with the Bharti family. “I’ve found my Divya in Sajid’s wife Wardha. She introduces me as her ‘father’. So does Sajid…,” said an emotional Om. Sajid cherishes Divya’s memories till date. He purchased the rights of the song Saat samundar and paid a tribute to his late wife in his directional venture Kick (2014). Wardha too has helped him treasure the reminiscences. Their sons, Subhan and Sufyan, regard Divya as ‘Badi Mummy’ and like watching her movies. Just as Divya Bharti’s admirers across the continents.
We specialise in Blast From The Past stories, check them out on masala.com and @masalauae.
