Here’s a translation of the text in English:
In a hospital room, a dying girl tells herself, “It’s too late now. Time is slipping away like water through my hands, but do not bid me goodbye with tears. I am happy. I have vermilion in my heart too.”
This is a scene from the 1992 film Dil Ka Kya Kasoor in which India’s renowned actress Divya Bharti says these words to her family while dying.
One year after this film, in April 1993, Divya Bharti passed away at the young age of 19.
Born on February 25, 1974, Divya Bharti would have turned 50 today if she were alive. Her career lasted only two to three years, yet the tales of her fame still remain popular. Cheerful, playful, mischievous, bold, talented, with big eyes and a magical face—these are the words often used to describe her.
The 1992 film Deewana was the biggest hit of Divya’s career.
Producer Guddu Dhanoa said, “Divya was an excellent actress, a one-take actress. Even the dance master would teach her a dance step once, and she would immediately say she was ready for the shot. She didn’t need any rehearsals.”
Guddu Dhanoa further shared, “During the shooting of Aisi Deewangi in Shimla, Divya shot despite having a 104-degree fever. We had to shoot a song in three days, and despite our insistence for her to rest, she completed the shoot without taking any rest.”
Divya was supposed to be the heroine for Jeetendra. She was in the industry for such a short time that there are only two or three video interviews of hers, which you can watch repeatedly to understand her words.
For example, in an old video interview, when asked about her desires, she said, “The dream is to reach the top, but I don’t need anyone’s help. Whatever I am going to become, I will make it on my own. I want to carve my own space.”
Listening to this paints the picture of a confident, self-made, enthusiastic young girl who wanted to conquer the world.
Divya Bharti attended Manakji Cooper Trust School in Mumbai. Her classmates included Farhan Akhtar and Sharman Joshi, but Divya didn’t show much interest in studies.
Divya’s parents, now no longer alive, gave an in-depth interview to Bollywood Hungama in 2012. In this interview, Divya’s mother openly discussed her daughter’s life.
According to her mother, “Divya was never interested in studies. I kept trying to teach her, but she would instead practice the steps of the song from Hamaalwala in front of the mirror. Jeetendra was her favorite hero, and she wanted to become his heroine. She started getting offers when she was still in school. Govinda’s brother, Kirit Kumar, signed her for Radha Ka Sangam, but she was later dropped from the film due to some reasons.”
Director Satish Kaushik had suggested her for his film Prem, but after Kaushik reconciled with Tabu, Divya had to leave the film. The same happened with Saudagar.
Before Bollywood, Divya had worked in Telugu films, and her first film Bubbly Raja in 1990 was a huge hit.
The producer of her first Telugu film, B. Gopal, shared that Boney Kapoor had introduced Divya to their producer Suresh Babu, and she was immediately signed for the film. “She was very young and loved shopping. After that, Suresh Babu took her to the cinema, and she became a big star in Telugu films, then started getting offers for Bollywood as well.”
After her success in Telugu films, Rajiv Rai gave her the opportunity to work in Hindi films with Vishwatma in 1992.
In the same year, Divya had three releases: Shola Aur Shabnam, Vishwatma, and Dil Ka Kya Kasoor. Deewana, released in June 1992, made Divya popular as she starred alongside Rishi Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan.
Divya’s fame is reflected in a line from Filmfare magazine: “Divya became a star when Sunil Shetty’s first film Balwaan was released.”
Fun and Mischief On Set
Divya’s performances were as playful as her personality. According to her mother, in Shola Aur Shabnam, Divya had a serious scene, but she was busy playing cricket. Director David Dhawan asked her to be serious, to which Divya replied, “Do I really have to die if I have a death scene?” She said, “Turn the camera on, and if I make a mistake, I’ll leave the film.” Later, during the song shoot, when they watched the scene, Dhawan had tears in his eyes.
After her passing, producer Pahlaj Nihalani was the first to reach the hospital. Nihalani said, “Divya was a lively person. In Shola Aur Shabnam, there was an emotional scene, but as soon as the dialogue came, she started laughing. We had to take 32 takes because Divya couldn’t stop laughing.”
Marriage to Sajid Nadiadwala
Divya’s life was marked by significant events, particularly when it was revealed that she had married producer Sajid Nadiadwala at the age of 18. They met on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam. Initially, her family wasn’t happy about the marriage, but later they accepted it.
On the night of April 5, 1993, Divya’s death shocked the film industry. There have been many reports about what happened that night.
Her parents stated in an interview that Divya had said she wanted to buy a house, and the family went house hunting that evening. Later that night, they received a call that Divya had fallen from the balcony. Her family couldn’t believe it, as they didn’t think she was weak enough to commit suicide.
After Divya’s death, several films such as Rang, Chatrang, and Tholi Madhu were released.
Ayesha Jhulka, her close friend, shared, “Divya used to say life is short, and she often felt like she was running out of time. It felt like she had some premonition about her early departure.” A few months after her death, an odd thing happened during the trial of the movie Rang—when Divya appeared on screen, the projector malfunctioned, which left everyone feeling uncomfortable.
As for Sajid Nadiadwala, despite all the speculation, Divya’s parents and Sajid remained on good terms. Until 2004, Sajid included Divya’s picture at the start of his films, with a caption reading, “In memory of my beloved wife.”
Later, Sajid remarried Warda Khan, but Warda continued to share stories related to Divya on social media. She mentioned that Sajid still kept Divya’s perfume, the last thing she had touched, and that whenever their children watched Divya’s films, they referred to her as “big mom.”
After Divya’s death, films like Laadla, Mohra, Hulchul, Vijaypath, and Karatavya were completed by other heroines.
Producer Pahlaj Nihalani said, “Producers sometimes get frustrated with actors’ behavior, but Divya was different. She was like family on set. When it came to emotions, she was the kind of girl who could squeeze water out of a stone. People used to say she was like a second Sridevi.”
This English translation captures the essence of Divya Bharti’s life, her career, and her untimely death, which left a lasting impact on the Indian film industry.