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Divya Bharti
Indian actress (1974–1993) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Divya Bharti[a] (Hindi pronunciation: [dɪʋjaː bʱaːrtiː]; 25 February 1974 – 5 April 1993) was an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Hindi and Telugu movies. Known for her acting, vivacity and beauty, she was among the highest-paid Indian actresses of her time. She received a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award for her performances.[1][2]
Bharti began her career as a teenager while working as a pin-up model. She made her acting debut with the Telugu film Bobbili Raja (1990), which became a blockbuster at the box office. She subsequently starred in successful Telugu films such as Assembly Rowdy (1991) and Rowdy Alludu (1991), establishing herself as a leading actress in the industry. She received the Nandi Special Jury Award for her performance in Chittemma Mogudu (1992), before transitioning to Hindi cinema with the action thriller Vishwatma (1992) and the action comedy Shola Aur Shabnam (1992). She solidified her position with the romantic drama Deewana (1992), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
On 5 April 1993, Bharti died at the age of 19 after falling from the balcony of her fifth-floor apartment in Bombay. The circumstances of her death led to various conspiracy theories, but it was officially ruled as an accidental fall.
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Early life
Bharti was born in Mumbai on 25 February 1974[3] to Om Prakash Bharti and Meeta Bharti, who belonged to Hindu Punjabi Khatri (Arora) community.[4] She had a younger brother named Kunal and a half-sister Poonam, who was the child of Om Prakash Bharti's first marriage. Actress Kainaat Arora is her second cousin.[5] She spoke Hindi, English and Marathi fluently.[6] In her early years, she was known for her bubbly personality and doll-like looks.[7][8][9] She studied at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, Mumbai. Bharti was a restless student at school and completed the 9th standard[b] before pursuing an acting career.[10]
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Acting career
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Early roles and Telugu films
In 1988, Bharti, then a ninth-grader, was signed by filmmaker Nandu Tolani for one of his films. She was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in Gunahon Ka Devta in 1988, but her role was cancelled. She was replaced by Sangeeta Bijlani.[11] Kirti Kumar (Govinda's brother) noticed Bharti at a video library. He was eager to sign her for his project Radha Ka Sangam opposite Govinda. Kumar met with director Dilip Shankar and managed to release Bharti from her contract. After taking dancing and acting lessons for months to prepare for her role, Bharti was dropped and replaced by Juhi Chawla. It was speculated that Kumar's possessiveness over Bharti and her childish nature was the cause of her replacement.[12] Bharti's career was stalled until D. Ramanaidu, a Telugu film producer, offered her a leading role in the film Bobbili Raja opposite his son Daggubati Venkatesh. She began shooting in Andhra Pradesh for her screen debut. The film was released in the summer of 1990 and became a hit.[13] Bobbili Raja remains one of the most popular and iconic Telugu movies.[14] Later in the year, Bharti acted in a Tamil film, Nila Pennae, opposite Anand. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.[15]
In box office ratings, Bharti ranked next to Vijayashanti who has been widely called The Lady Superstar and Lady Amitabh of South Indian cinema. In 1991, Bharti had back-to-back hits with action comedy film Rowdy Alludu and drama Assembly Rowdy opposite actors Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu, respectively.[16][17] Later that year, Bharti began filming A. Kodandarami Reddy's action romance Dharma Kshetram under Sri Rajeev Productions. Bharti got to work with Telugu film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna.[18]
Transition to Hindi films and stardom
While Bharti celebrated her success in Andhra Pradesh, Bollywood's top directors were eager to sign her for films. Bharti's first Hindi film was Rajiv Rai's 1992 film Vishwatma. In an interview with Filmfare, she said that she liked her role as Kusum, Sunny Deol's love interest, in the film, describing it as a "very good role".[19] The film was an average box office performer but gained Bharti wider recognition from the public as well as film critics.[20][21] Bharti was most notable for the song used in the film Saat Samundar.[22] A week later, Bharti's next film, Lawrence D'Souza's romantic drama Dil Ka Kya Kasoor, in which she starred alongside Prithvi, was released.[23] The film was not a box office success but was recognised for its music.[24]
"I wanted to prove myself. But I've fallen flat on my face. Now, I have to begin my climb all over again. Yet, I'm positive that one day, success will be mine."
In March 1992, David Dhawan's romantic action drama Shola Aur Shabnam was released. It was popular with critics and was a box office hit in India, marking Bharti's first major hit in Hindi films.[25][26] She achieved further success in Raj Kanwar's Filmfare Award-winning love story Deewana, which starred veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and newcomer Shahrukh Khan. It was one of the biggest hits of 1992.[27] Her performance in Deewana was highly appreciated.[28] Critics reported that Bharti belonged to a new breed of Hindi film actors who broke away from character stereotypes. Bharti won the Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year.[24] By July 1992, Bharti's work in Deewana was said to have earned her more recognition.[29]
She had several Hindi releases that year—the action drama Jaan Se Pyaara, which featured Bharti alongside Govinda once again,[30] romantic drama Geet opposite Avinash Wadhawan, action Dushman Zamana alongside Armaan Kohli, and action drama Balwaan, which marked the debut of Suniel Shetty.[31][32] The latter achieved moderate success. In October, she appeared in Hema Malini's romantic drama Dil Aashna Hai, which did not do as well at the box office. She portrayed a bar dancer who sets out to find her birth mother. The role earned her critical appreciation.[33] Bharti decided to act in one Telugu movie per year to not disappoint her Telugu audience. Chittemma Mogudu was released in early 1993, again starring a popular couple of Bharti and Mohan Babu.[34] In the last film to be released during her lifetime, the ensemble film Kshatriya, she co-starred alongside Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon. It was released on 26 March 1993.[35]
Bharti was replaced in films she had not completed, including Mohra (played by Raveena Tandon), Kartavya (played by Juhi Chawla), Vijaypath (played by Tabu), Dilwale (played by Raveena Tandon), and Andolan (played by Mamta Kulkarni).[36][37][38][39] She was more than halfway through the filming of Laadla at the time of her death and the movie was reshot with Sridevi portraying the role.[40] Shortly before her death, she had completed filming for Rang and Shatranj; these were released posthumously on 7 July 1993 and 17 December 1993 respectively and achieved moderate success.[41][42] Although she had completed filming her scenes for both films, a dubbing artist was used as she never got the chance to dub for the films. Her incomplete Telugu film Tholi Muddhu was partly completed by an actress Rambha, who slightly resembled Bharti and hence was used as her body double to complete her remaining scenes; the film was released in October 1993.[43] According to reports, the role of Simran in the blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was originally written for Bharti, and she was Aditya Chopra’s first choice for the part.[44] Even for 1993 blockbuster Darr was also to be starring Bharti—she was signed to play the role of Kiran Awasthi but was later replaced by Juhi Chawla. In a vintage interview with Filmfare, Divya’s mother, Meeta Bharti, clarified:
“Many people still think that Divya lost Darr because she had a problem with Yash Chopra. That wasn’t the case. When Sunny Deol was signed, he wanted Divya opposite him. But Aamir Khan wanted Juhi Chawla. Unfortunately, at that time, we were in America for some shows. Before we left, they had announced Darr with Sunny, Divya, and Aamir. When we returned, it was Sunny, Juhi, and Aamir. It seemed that Aamir, who was also working with Yash Chopra in Parampara, managed to push for Juhi and had Divya dropped. After he got Juhi into Darr, he was dropped, and Shah Rukh Khan was taken instead.”[45]
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Personal life
Bharti met director-producer Sajid Nadiadwala through actor Govinda while working on the set of Shola Aur Shabnam, following which she converted to Islam, changed her name to Sana, and married Nadiadwala on 10 May 1992[46] at a private Nikah ceremony in the presence of her hairdresser and friend Sandhya, Sandhya's husband, and a qazi at Nadiadwala's Tulsi Buildings residence in Mumbai.[47][48] The marriage was kept secret so as to not affect her prosperous film career.[49][50]
Death
In the late evening hours of 5 April 1993, Bharti fell from the balcony window of her fifth-floor apartment in Tulsi Buildings, Versova, Andheri West in Bombay.[51][52] When her guests Neeta Lulla, Neeta's husband Shyam Lulla, Bharti's maid Amrita Kumari, and neighbours realised what had happened, she was rushed in an ambulance to the emergency department at Cooper Hospital, where she died. She was 19 years old. Though her death was subject to conspiracy theories, her father denied any wrongdoing.[53] The official causes of her death were deemed to be head injuries and internal bleeding. She was cremated on 7 April 1993 at the Vile Parle crematorium in Bombay.[54]
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Reactions and legacy
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Bharti acted in 21 films during her short career and was one of the highest-paid Indian actresses at the time of her death. She had made a mark in the industry at the tender age of 19 with her impeccable acting skills.[2][55] Her offscreen persona and unique acting ability have been highly appreciated and reminisced by many of her co-stars and critics.[56] In 1992, Bharti was appeared in "Top Actress" list of Box Office India.[57] In 2022, she was placed in Outlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[58]
Her sudden death leaving the industry stunned. Talking about her and her acting, Shah Rukh Khan, who shared screen space with her in Deewana and Dil Aashna Hai described her "stunning as an actor".[59] Suniel Shetty has remarked, "I have not yet seen any other actress who is as talented as Divya Bharti. I don't think anyone had as much talent as she possessed. Her talent was unbelievable, she'd do masti and bachpana (fun and childish behavior) before the shoot commenced and when asked for, she'd give such a perfect shot that I used to forget my own dialogues!".[60] Actress Karishma Kapoor has paid her tribute by saying, "She was so wonderful in Deewana.. couldn't take my eyes off! We really miss her a lot."[61] Moreover, Chunky Panday has pronounced her to be "Chulbuli" (bubbly) and that "she was full of life, energy and loved to work with her in Vishwatma."[62]
Actor Govinda called Bharti different than other actresses of her time saying, "Juhi, Kajol, and Karishma are in a different spot, Divya had a totally different kind of appeal from those three. What she had was natural and God-given, it cannot be created by anyone, however much they may try. She had a raw, tamed, wild look about her which magnetised the audience."[63] Producer Guddu Dhanoa, upon working with her in Deewana, has stated that, "Bollywood misses her a lot and the void which was created owing to her death could not be filled by anyone else." Archana Puran Singh in the caption of one of her social media posts has written, "Divya was a sweet soul, still remember sobbing the day she passed away."[64] In a heartfelt reflection, Actress Ayesha Jhulka opened up about her deep bond with the late Divya Bharti, calling her a “powerhouse” and “brilliant actress” whose absence left an irreplaceable void in the industry. Recalling their time together during the filming of Rang (1993), Jhulka shared touching memories—from Divya buying them matching shoes to small, affectionate gestures like bringing her a bindi on set. The most haunting experience she described was during a preview screening of Rang after Divya’s passing, when the screen suddenly collapsed as Divya appeared on it, a moment that made her feel Divya’s presence so strongly that she couldn’t sleep for days. Expressing the depth of their friendship and her admiration, Jhulka said that had Divya been alive, she would have been her “bestest friend,” and added with conviction that “no other actress would have got a chance” because Divya’s talent and charisma were unmatched.[65] In a moving interview, Actress Sonam Khan opened up about her deep friendship with the late Divya Bharti, reflecting on their time together during the filming of Vishwatma, where their bond first blossomed. Sonam fondly recalled one of their final conversations just days before Divya’s untimely death in April 1993. At the time, Sonam was eight months pregnant, and Divya had gently told her to “look at the moon,” lovingly predicting she would have a beautiful baby—an exchange that revealed the tenderness and intimacy of their relationship. Still affected by the tragic loss, Sonam expressed her sorrow, saying, “She was a very nice girl. Had she been alive today, she would have been at the top. It’s heartbreaking, the accident that happened to her; it shouldn’t have happened, but what can we do now?” She also shared that Divya was originally cast as the lead in Mohra , a film directed by Sonam’s then-husband Rajiv Rai. The role, however, was later recast with Raveena Tandon following Divya’s sudden passing. Sonam’s recollections offered a heartfelt glimpse into the personal and professional promise Divya Bharti held—a life and career tragically cut short.[66]
New-generation artists like Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have also remembered Divya Bharti in some of their interviews. Varun has revealed Bharti to be "one of the actresses from the 90s he would have loved to work with."[67] Anushka Sharma has been quoted saying "I became a huge fan of Divya Bharti after watching her songs. I would dance to almost all her songs, especially "Saat Samundar". When she passed away, my mother didn't tell me for about a week because she knew I would break down."[68]
In 2011, veteran actor Dev Anand made the movie Chargesheet, which was loosely based on her death and the mystery surrounding it.[69] Bharti also signed for several major projects that paired her with some of Bollywood’s biggest stars of the time. These included Do Kadam with Salman Khan, Kanyadaan with Rishi Kapoor, Parinaam with Akshay Kumar, Bajrang with Sunny Deol and Chal Pe Chal with Jackie Shroff. Unfortunately, due to her untimely demise, these films never saw the light of day, leaving fans to wonder about the potential she had yet to showcase alongside these famous actors.[70][71]
Despite her brief career and untimely death, Divya Bharti continues to be remembered as one of the most famous and successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema. Her remarkable rise stands as a powerful example of how an outsider—without any industry background—can achieve immense success through talent, charisma, and determination, leaving a lasting legacy in the hearts of audiences.
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Filmography
Unfinished films
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Awards
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Footnotes
- Bharti plays an unnamed girl in the film, who is later named Suriya.
References
External links
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