Divya Om Prakash Bharti (also
Bharati or
Bharathi) (25 February 1974 – 5 April 1993) was an Indian film actress who starred in a number of commercially successful
Hindi and
Telugu films in the early 1990s.
Bharti died on 5th April 1993 at the age of 19.
[3] She fell off her 5-storey apartment in
Versova, Mumbai.
[4] Eye witnesses reported to have seen her slip down the parapet of her balcony after losing balance. It remains unclear if her sudden death was of accidental nature or suicide. However, the possibility of murder can be dismissed.
[5]
Early life[edit]
Divya Bharti was born on 25th February 1974, in
Mumbai,
India, as the child of Om Prakash Bharti, an insurance officer, and his second wife, Meeta Bharti.
[6] She had a younger brother named Kunal and two half siblings who were the result of her father's first marriage.
[7] She spoke
Hindi,
English and
Marathi fluently. In her early years, Bharti was known for her bubbly personality and love for life, as well as for her doll-like looks. She is the second cousin of actress
Kainaat Arora.
[8]
Bharti studied at Maneckji Cooper High School in
Juhu,
Mumbai, in the same era as actor
Farhan Akhtar attended. She was an average student and completed grade 9 before pursuing an acting career.
[9]
1988 – 1990: Early Work and Career Beginnings[edit]
In 1988, Bharti was discovered by film-maker
Nandu Tolani. Upon seeing her, Tolani insisted on signing her for one of his films. At that time, Bharti was in the ninth standard. She was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in
Gunahon Ka Devta in 1988, but her role was cancelled.
[10] Kirti Kumar noticed Bharti at a video library and thus was eager to sign her for his project
Radha Ka Sangam opposite
Govinda, as he was searching for a new face. Weeks later, Kumar went personally to meet
Dilip Shankar and managed to release Bharti from their contract. After taking dancing and acting lessons for months to prepare for the role, Bharti was eventually dropped and replaced by
Juhi Chawla.
[10] Though the reasons remain unclear, it was speculated about Kumar's possessiveness over Bharti as well as Bharti's childish nature to be the cause of the replacement.
[11] She continued to sign a variety of
Bollywood-films before dropping out and getting replaced by other actresses, such as
Tabu.
Bharti acted in only one Tamil film,
Nila Penne opposite
Anand. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.
[12]
1990 – 1992: Rise to Stardom in Telugu Cinema[edit]
1992 – 1993: Rise to Stardom in Bollywood[edit]
While Bharti celebrated her success in
South India,
Bollywood's top directors were eager to sign the
Telugu superstar for their upcoming films. Bharti's first
Bollywoodfilm was
Vishwatma opposite
Sunny Deol, directed by
Rajiv Rai and released on 2nd January 1992. The film was an average grosser at the box office, and gained Bharti wider recognition from the public as well as film critics.
[17] Notably, the music of the film was very successful, especially the song "Saat Samundar" which became a favorite and put Bharti in the limelight of Bollywood.
[17]
A week later, Bharti's next film,
Lawrence D'Souza's romantic drama
Dil Ka Kya Kasoor, alongside
Prithvi, failed at the box office, though was recognized for its outstanding music.
[15] After Bharti's flops, she was quoted as saying, "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." (
Stardust, March 1992).
[18]
As far as the
Telugu film industry is concerned, Bharti decided to film one movie per year in order to not disappoint her south Indian audience.
[25] Thus,
Chittamma Mogudu was released at the end of 1992, starring once again the popular couple of Bharti and
Mohan Babu.
Personal life[edit]
Bharti loved to swim and engage in other activities at the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana Club in
Mumbai along with her brother Kunal.
[27] Her parents noticed her interest in acting at a young age since Bharti used to skip studying in order to imitate the dance moves of the most recent
Bollywood films at that time, such as the 1983 hit film
Himmatwala, starring
Sridevi and one of Divya's most favourite actors,
Jeetendra.
[27] She occasionally visited the
Siddhivinayak Temple and loved to eat their
Modaks.
[28]
After being falsely linked to a variety of
Bollywood and
Telugu actors and other personalities within the film industry, Bharti decided to get married to film producer
Sajid Nadiadwala on 10th May 1992, after she had just turned 18.
[29] They had met at
Film City, when Sajid dropped by to meet
Govinda on the sets of
Shola Aur Shabnam.
[30] The marriage was kept a secret for a couple of weeks in order to avoid lessening potential film offers for Bharti as well as soothing intra-familial conflicts regarding the different religions and familiar backgrounds Bharti and
Nadiadwala belonged to.
Bharti was a close friend to actor
Govinda who according to her parents still mourns her death.
[31]
Death and aftermath[edit]
Around midnight of 5th April 1993, Bharti fell to her death from a five-storey
Tulsi apartment building in
Versova, Mumbai. There was much speculation by the media regarding Bharti's sudden demise, including the possibility of
suicide,
accidental death, conspiracy or even
murder.
[32] Mumbai Police failed to find any evidence suggesting murder and hence closed the investigation labelled as accidental death in 1998. Some conspiracy theories involved her husband
Sajid Nadiadwala, while other theories suggested
Mafia complicity.
[33] Bharti's body was examined and a fair amount of alcohol was found in her blood.
[34] Her body was released to her family, who arranged a
cremation ceremony 2 days after her demise.
[35]
Two of her completed films
Rang and
Shatranj were released several months after her death and dedicated to her memory. At the time of her death, she had completed 80% filming of
Laadla, and
Sridevi was recast in her role. Footage of Divya's performance in
Laadla was seen in a television program in 1994. She was replaced in several other films she had signed such as
Mohra,
Vijaypath and
Andolan.
[36] Her incomplete
Telugu film
Tholi Muddhu was partly completed by south actress
Rambha who slightly resembled Bharti and hence completed a few scenes of the movie for her.
Filmography[edit]
