The untimely demise of 19-year-old Divya Bharti, an accomplished Indian actress in her prime, sent shockwaves across the nation. The unfortunate incident occurred when Divya Bharti allegedly fell from the fifth-story window ledge of her residence located in Tulsi Apartments, situated in the bustling Versova area of Mumbai’s Andheri district. The circumstances surrounding her death remain suspicious.
The mystery behind Divya Bharti’s Death
How did Divya Bharti (or Bharthi) Die? Was this a case of a freak accident, a suicide, or was she killed? No one exactly knows how Divya Bharti died, turning her mysterious death into an unsolved mystery.
Bharti debuted in the film industry like a whiff of fresh air and enchanted cinema lovers with her lively character and effervescent smile. Her meteoric rise to stardom in a short span made her a household name, and she ruled her fans’ hearts.
She had a dream run with back-to-back hits in Hindi and Telugu movies. At the time of her death, Divya had several big projects in her kitty. Tragically, the dream run came to a sudden and premature end. She reportedly fell to her death from the window of her apartment.
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Who was Divya Bharti?
She was born on February 25, 1974, to Mrs. Meeta Bharti and Mr. Om Prakash Bharti in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Her full name was Divya Om Prakash Bharti. She had a younger brother named Kunal.
Fluent in Hindi, English, and Marathi languages, she did her schooling at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, Mumbai. She quit school in Grade 9 to pursue her acting career.
At the age of 16, she made her film debut in ‘Bobbili Raja’ – a Telugu movie. Released in 1990, the film went on to become a major hit.
She made her Bollywood debut in 1992 with a movie titled ‘Dil Hi To Hai’ but was noticed in her next movie titled ‘Vishwatma’. A song in the movie ‘Saat samundar Paar’ was a major hit and Divya gained popularity as ‘Saat Samundar girl’.
She did 10 Telugu movies and 12 Hindi movies in her short career span (1992-94)
The actress was just eighteen when she fell in love with Sajid Nadiadwala. However, her parents did not approve of her relationship with Sajid.
On May 10, 1992, Divya and Sajid got married at a private ceremony, at Sajid’s residence in Tulsi Apartments. After her marriage, Divya Bharti converted to Islam and changed her name to Sana Nadiadwala. The marriage was kept under wraps so as to not affect her prosperous film career.
Divya Bharti died on April 5, 1993, reportedly after falling off the balcony of her fifth-floor apartment in Mumbai. She was just 19.
April 5, 1993 – The day when the world bid farewell to Divya Bharti
The actress returns from a movie shoot in Chennai. She discusses a deal to finalize a new apartment for herself. She gets a beauty treatment done. Then Divya goes to see the apartment with her father Om Prakash, mother Meeta Bharti, and brother Kunal. The real-estate agent assures them the keys to her new apartment would be available as soon as she returns from her Mauritius shoot. She is elated with joy as it is not easy to buy a 4-bedroom apartment in a cramped city like Mumbai.
She is supposed to fly to Hyderabad for a film shooting the next day but at the last moment, she cancels the trip so she could complete the paperwork for her new apartment.
After visiting the apartment, the actress and her family spend the evening with their former neighbors in Pali Hill. There, the actress receives a call from Sajid Nadiadwala – her alleged husband, asking her to come home as costume designer, Neeta Lulla had come to discuss costumes for her upcoming film, Andolan.
Bharti leaves immediately with her brother Kunal, who drops her at Sajid’s house in Tulsi Apartments, Versova.
Unfolding of events after Bharti reaches Sajid’s home in Tulsi Apartments
Neeta Lulla, along with her psychiatrist husband, Shyam Lulla, comes to Tulsi Apartments at around 10 pm. They are having a conversation over drinks in the living area. Divya is in high spirits, reportedly, after having rum.
Saajid Nadiadwala leaves for a meeting with Punkej Kharbanda to discuss dates for his upcoming film, ‘Andolan’.
The actress’s maid, Amrita is in the kitchen preparing snacks to be served with their drinks.
Bharti then moves towards the window of her balcony while talking to Amrita. Amrita is responding to her loudly from the kitchen. Neeta and her husband are engrossed in watching a program on the television and are not paying attention to the conversation going on between Bharti and Amrita.
Divya climbs on the ledge of her window. She tries to turn around to face the living area but loses balance and falls from her fifth-floor balcony and lands on her back, sustaining fatal injuries.
The actress is rushed to R.N. Cooper hospital by Dr. Shyam Lulla and her neighbor – Mr. V. Menon, who is a director. While Neeta Lulla, along with the maid, Amrita goes to Divya’s residence to inform her parents and brother.
Sadly, the actress could not be saved and was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
The news of her demise spreads like a wildflower, and the world comes crumbling down upon her family and friends.
Investigation into the case
The Mumbai Police interrogates Dr. Shyam and Neeta Lulla, Amrita – her maid, Meeta Bharti, Om Prakash Bharti, Kunal Bharti, and Sajid Nadiadwala (her alleged husband).
Neeta and Shyam Lulla do not give a clear account of the incident. Sajid Nadiadwala is too shocked and disheveled at Divya’s death to speak about the tragedy.
As per the police files, Divya Bharti’s death is an accident – She slipped and fell from the ledge of her balcony in an inebriated state, and died of fatal head injuries.
Controversies surrounding the actress’s death
Numerous conspiracy theories floated around the untimely death of the Bollywood diva. There were whispers of suicide and even murder, but the police ruled out her death as an accident. The case file is ultimately closed in 1998.
Amrita reportedly dies of cardiac arrest within a month of Bharti’s death and could not be interrogated by the police. Some see this as a conspiracy to eliminate the eyewitness in her death case.
Stardust magazine covers the actress’s death in The Tragedy That Shook the Nation. Written by Troy Ribeiro, the piece remains one of the most referenced sources on this case.
Excerpts from Stardust article – ‘The Tragedy That Shook the Nation’
Neeta Lulla’s version at the police station states, ‘I was not sure whether Divya had jumped down or whether she had slipped accidentally because the sequence of events was in a split-second.’
As per a close friend of Divya, “Divya was very depressed that day. That’s why she had canceled her outdoor schedule in Hyderabad. In fact, that evening itself she had gone shopping to buy some stuff for the new house she was buying for herself and Sajid. After that, she went to a friend’s party.
She came home from the party quite high in spirits and that’s when she and Sajid had a major fight. At that time, Sajid was leaving his house to meet a distributor in the nearby Lokhandwala area. An angry Divya screamed at him. ‘You come back in ten minutes or you won’t see me,’ she threatened. But Sajid didn’t give any importance to her warning. He left. And within minutes after that, she was on the parapet.
Neeta Lulla, who was there was petrified. She asked Divya to come inside. But Divya with already a few pegs down refused. Neeta went up to her to get her back. In order to escape from Neeta’s clutches, Divya Jumped down. But now I don’t know why Neeta is not disclosing all this.”
Another friend of the actress who lived in the same building had an altogether different story to tell. “Sajid and she had had a terrible fight that night. He was very upset with her about something and he was screaming at her for that. Divya who was already a few pegs down didn’t know what to do. That’s when she popped in some sleeping pills.
Sajid was in a real panic. He immediately called up Dr. Shyam Lulla Divya’s psychiatrist who had been treating her for quite a few months now. Dr. Shyam along with his designer wife Neeta came over to the house by around 11 p.m. Sajid and Divya were still fighting. From what I’ve heard, the Lulla’s apparently asked Sajid and Kunal (Divya’s brother who was also present) to leave the house since they wanted to calm Divya down. The maid was also asked to remain in the kitchen. Divya who had been drinking all along came to the kitchen for a refill. And that was the last time the maid saw her alive. Divya went into the hall and the tragedy followed.”
The magazine further states that it was rumored that Divya and Sajid were having a lot of problems even otherwise, on the marriage front. Some say it was due to Sajid’s links with the underworld that the actress couldn’t stand.
Others insist that she was too tired of trying to hide her marriage and that was the main reason that was creating friction between her and her mother. She couldn’t take it anymore.
A few also swear that it was because of Bharti’s recent association with producer Vicky and her hero Kamal Sadanah that Sajid was most upset about. But, these are all theories. Nobody can pinpoint what the exact problem was as, despite all their problems, the couple was still so much in the love with each other.
The Version of Divya Bharti’s Parents
Saajid Nadiadwala subsequently married Wardha Khan, a former journalist. Bharti’s family has always spoken well about Sajid and Wardha Khan.
Speaking to India Today, the actress’s father, Mr. Om Prakash Bharti had said, “There was no question of suicide or murder. Yes, she did drink a bit but how much can you drink in half an hour? And she was not depressed. She was the kind to give you depression!”
“It was an accident. She sat on the ledge, lost her balance, and fell. Sadly, all flats had grills except hers. Cars would always be parked below but that night there was not a single one. She fell directly to the ground. I was shocked and lost my senses. But eventually, you have to face the truth.”
Bharti’s mother, Mrs. Meeta Bharti passed away on 20 April 2018 fighting a kidney ailment. Her father, Mr. Om Prakash Bharti breathed his last on 30 October 2021.
The reason for her fatal fall is still unknown and several conspiracy theories are circulated in the media making Divya Bharti’s death a mystery.
Even though the investigation in the death case concluded it was an accidental death, to her fans, the death of Divya Bharti remains an unsolved mystery to date.
