Remembering Divya Bharti: The actor’s death at 19 left India shocked

Divya Bharti shone like a star in Bollywood before her career was cut short by her untimely death at the age of 19 on April 5,1993. The actor’s fell to her death from her home, an accident that spun a million conspiracy theories back then. The Mumbai Police, however, ruled it an accident. The star of films such as Vishwatama, and Deewana, the actor was brought dead on arrival at hospital.

The young actor was said to be inebriated when she fell from the balcony of her fifth floor home. She was married to Sajid Nadiadwala at that time. “Divya went to the balcony. She must have sat on the ledge, lost her balance and fell off. Our maid Amrita (she had been with Divya since her birth) was in the kitchen then. I don’t blame anyone, it was destiny,” her mother had said in an interview.(Photo: Express Archive)

She worked in the Telugu film industry and after a few films in Telugu and Tamil. (Photo: Express Archive)

Divya Bharti was welcomed in the Hindi film industry with open arms. (Photo: Express Archive)

Making her debut with Vishwatma, Divya was soon the star to watch out for. (Photo: Express Archive)

Divya was on a signing spree and had producers lining up at her doorstep. Divya Bharti signed 14 films in a span of two years. (Photo: Express Archive)

With films like Deewana, Shola Aur Shabnam, Balwaan, Kshatriya, Divya made her place in the film industry. She was also awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. (Photo: Express Archive)

Divya Bharti was secretly married to producer Sajid Nadiadwala, when she was only 18. But she kept it under wraps for a long time. Even her father was not aware of her marriage with Sajid. (Photo: Express Archive)

Just 10 months post her marriage, Divya Bharti fell from the balcony of her fifth-floor home and died. She was only 19. (Photo: Express Archive)

There were many speculations around her untimely death but the police refuted the rumours and declared it an ‘accidental death’.  (Photo: Express Archive)

Had tragedy not struck, this 'Saat Samundar Paar' girl would have been a phenomenon in the Hindi film industry. (Photo: Express Archive)