Anees Bazmee recalls Divya Bharti’s last shot before untimely death at 19: ‘Mujhe bachao’

‘95% of the film had already been shot’

Recalling the difficult period, Bazmee said, “It was very sad and unfortunate. We had almost completed the entire film with Divya Bharti, and she had done a fabulous job. Unfortunately, she passed away before we could shoot the climax. We were all left wondering what to do next.”

He said the tragedy left the entire unit shattered.

“No one worked for almost two months. Everyone was devastated, and our producer was deeply worried because the film had already been shot. It took us time to come to terms with the fact that we would have to make it all over again. Around 90 to 95 per cent of the film was complete.”

Eventually, the makers decided to restart the project with Sridevi.

“When Sridevi ji came on board, the film became even better because of her performance. Production-wise, it was extremely difficult, but working with Sridevi ji was a wonderful experience. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to work with such a great actor.”

Before being remade in Hindi, Laadla had already been adapted twice in the South. The 1994 film was the Hindi remake of the 1986 Kannada blockbuster Anuraga Aralithu, itself based on the novel Anuragada Anthapura. The story had earlier been adapted into Tamil as Mannan (1992), starring Rajinikanth and Vijayashanti, and into Telugu as Gharana Mogudu (1992), starring Chiranjeevi and Nagma.

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Why Sridevi said yes after rejecting the Tamil and Telugu versions

Bazmee revealed that casting Sridevi wasn’t straightforward because she had already turned down both Mannan and Gharana Mogudu.

“The Tamil version starred Rajinikanth, while the Telugu version starred Chiranjeevi. Sridevi had turned down both films. Boney Kapoor said she wouldn’t do the Hindi version either because she had already rejected the Tamil and Telugu versions.”

As the film’s writer, Bazmee revisited the script to understand why she had declined the earlier versions.

“I sat down and analysed why she must have rejected those films. I figured there had to be certain reasons, so I made a few changes.”

When he narrated the revised script, Sridevi reminded him that she had already refused both adaptations.

“She told me, ‘Anees ji, I’ve already rejected both these films.’ I replied, ‘You can reject this one too, but at least hear it once because I’ve made some changes.'”

The changes won her over.

“After hearing the narration, she said, ‘This is very good,’ and immediately agreed to do the film.”

Bazmee recalled that director Raj Kanwar and producer Nitin Manmohan were pleasantly surprised.

“They hugged me and asked, ‘What did you do?’ I told them, ‘I only changed a couple of scenes from her perspective.'”

‘The day before Divya Bharti’s death, we were shooting together’

Bazmee also shared a haunting memory from his final day of shooting with Divya Bharti.

“Divya’s death forced two of my films to be reshot – Laadla and Angrakshak. We had completed Angrakshak as well. I remember we were shooting in Chennai. A day before Divya died, we were filming with her.”

He still vividly remembers the final shot.

“In that scene, she walks away from the camera, gradually going out of focus, while masked men drag her away. Her last dialogue in the scene was, ‘Mujhe bachao (Save me).’ The next morning, we learnt that she had passed away.”

Divya Bharti died on April 5, 1993, after falling from the fifth-floor balcony of her Mumbai apartment at the age of 19, just months after marrying producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Her sudden death sent shockwaves through the Hindi film industry.