‘There was no one with Divya Bharti’: Pahlaj Nihalani recalls the actor’s death at 19 after falling from balcony

Actor Divya Bharti’s death at the age of 19 left Bollywood and her fans shocked and the conspiracy theories about her untimely demise are whispered to this date. Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani, who worked with Divya in Shola Aur Shabnam, opened up about the actor and the day of her death. Nihalani recalled that he was among the first to reach hospital after her death and spoke about the heart-breaking moment. The duo has collaborated on a number of films.

Divya Bharti’s death

Divya Bharti died on the evening of April 5, 1993, after falling from the window of her fifth-floor apartment. Married to filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala at the time, she was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead. Her death was ruled as an accident. Talking about the scene at the hospital, Nihalani told Pinkvilla, “She was all alone, by that time no one was there.” He said that nobody knew what had happened by the time and her family was yet to reach there. “Till then, no one had come. As soon as I found out, I immediately rushed to the hospital.” He also spoke about how he came to work with Divya, after being introduced by composer Jatin Pandit. “Jatin had brought her to me. When she first came, she looked plump in her photos.  I didn’t like her photographs, Divya Bharti’s face looked very big.”

The producer recalled advising Divya to lose weight and meet him again. “Later, when he brought her again, by then Shola Aur Shabnam had already gone on the floors, though she was not the heroine in it. He brought Divya Bharti to Film City, saying now she was looking fine, and I said she can start shooting from tomorrow,” said Nihalani about Divya’s casting in Shola Aur Shabnam.

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‘Divya Bharti sat on my chest’

Pahlaj Nihalani also praised Viya’s remarkable dedication to work. He said that during shooting, a nail pierced her foot and the shooting for the next day was cancelled. She was injured but insisted on working. Nihalani said, “She kept working, a nail had pierced her foot. It was 3 a.m. at night, and by 6 a.m. she was ready for a song shoot. I told her the shooting was cancelled.”

When Nihalani insisted on giving her some time off, she decided to take matters in her own hands. “I was asleep since the morning shoot was cancelled, but still she came into my room, got the door opened by housekeeping, and sat on my chest saying ‘wake up’. My wife asked, ‘Who is this girl? Both my wife and I were sleeping, and she came and sat on my chest.’”