IT may have been 26 years to the passing of talented and budding Bollywood star, Divya Bharti, but the amount of following she had amassed in such a short span of time is still intact and combing answers for her mysterious and ‘untimely’ death.
Divya had become the most sought-after actress in the 1992-93 after her dazzling performance in her debut flick Vishwatma as well as her dance prodigy in ‘Saat Samundar Par’, but her tragic death on April 5, 1993 after a shocking fall from a fifth floor of her ‘Tulsi Apartments’ in Mumbai left many stunned. At the time of her death, she had become a known brand in Bollywood and was riding very high on the wave of popularity.
Underworld or inside hand? What led to her death…?
Several theories circulated shortly after her tragic death, and we are here summing up all the surmises, versions and observations shared by her fans from 1993 till date, as well as accounts of her death reported by different media outlets during the same period.
If we go by a brief look at Divya’s career, what was the turning point for many in the Bollywood was her marriage with Producer Sajid Nadiadwala in 1992 and she was just 19. Though she had not declared her marriage with Nadiadwala as it may have affected her career, which was on the upward trajectory.
Now let’s connect the dots, keeping in view the theories shared by fans and accounts reported by the media.
Theory 1: Underworld’s involvement
Divya had secretly changed her name to ‘Sana Nadiadwala’ and she had apparently become a Muslim. One can recall a horrific incident of series of Mumbai blasts on March 12, 1993 that had rattled the entire city and hence fueling insecurity among Muslims due to involvement of underworld patronaged by Dawood Ibrahim. Hindu Muslim riots had ensued after the blasts.
Theories circulated that Sajid Nadiadwala allegedly had links with the Underworld, alike some other Bollywood figures.
Since Divya was spouse of Sajid and had closely attached with him. She may have some clues about what was cooking up in the underworld due to her husband’s alleged connections. Divya could have asked her husband to leave the dangerous business or she may not continue the relation with these disturbances around, and may later spill the beans.
Without paying consideration to “Sajid’s apparent attachment to his wife”, the Underworld may have plotted to eliminate Divya in order to remove perceived threat that they must be fearing about.
Either way if it was the underworld or any radical Hindu outfit, according to fans, the ‘hitmen’ used to execute the job were those who were with Divya Bharti at the time of her death.
It is pertinent to mention here that famed fashion designer Neeta Lulla and her husband Shyam Lulla who were present with Divya when she fell from her building, have not spoken to media and not shared any version of what exactly happened that night.
Since underworld had a huge influence on the B-Town during the period, most of the actors stayed mum in making any statement.
Theory 2: Involvement of radical elements or… or… the state hand
Since Divya Bharti had embraced a new religion, though secretly, it may have stirred up a hornet’s nest among many radical elements in the country, or perhaps the Indian establishment.
As per conspiracy theories, the powerful figures in the radical outfits backed by state actors reacted strongly in avenging Mumbai blasts and picked Divya as the target to upset the Underworld and their abettors?
They chose people from the industry to do the job and make it look like an accident. (READ above about presence of a couple at the time Divya met a tragic death.)
The only eye-witness also died mysteriously
A lady who was present at the home and she was Divya’s maid Amrita who looked after the actress since her childhood. And Divya’s family had a lot of trust on the maid.
Call it coincidence or something else, Amrita died within 30 days of Divya’s death due to reported cardiac arrest. Hence she could not be questioned by the police.
Else, as per some reports, her version of the fateful night could have been vital for the police to resolve the case, which is now gone with her.
Why Lullas are silent for 26 years?
Several social media clamours erupt time and again calling for reopening of the investigation along with ‘grilling’ of fashion designing duo Lullas as police may extract some startling insight of the fateful night. Some users even see Lullas with a suspicious eye, as well.
Recently, a devoted fan of Divya Bharti, named Sara Dutt, shared a screenshot of Neeta Lulla’s Twitter account, showing she was blocked by the renowed designer on Twitter. Sara Dutt explained she had tagged Neeta Lulla in a story related to Divya’s stolen watch at the time of her death.
Neeta Lulla, instead of responding or sharing any fond memories of the late actress, chose to block the user instead.Apparently surprised after being blocked by Neeta Lulla:
Sara Dutt wrote on her instagram: The article I posted about #divyabharti about a police man may have stole her gold watch after her death accused by #neetalulla I tagged her im surprised she saw it on both and she blocked me she really is something honestly😂😂lol many know she was with Divya and along with neeta husband the day Divya died…”
Investigation officer makes one cracking statement in Divya death case
The investigation was closed in 1998 by Mumbai police after five years of her death and the reason of death was stated as accidental death.
Senior Mumbai cop Arup Patnaik while investigating the case in 1993 had made one key statement while sharing his observation:
“When one contemplates suicide, the idea is to die. but when in the act, an automatic instinct of survival comes into you, you try to save yourself and while doing this you go on a spin also.”
May be he tried to hint that it was not a case of suicide.
Divya’s death largely portrayed as suicide to ‘wrap up’ the case
It is an open secret that the death of Divya Bharti was portrayed as suicide, while her parents completely ruled out their daughter could commit suicide.
“It could be possible that Divya was carelessly doing some stunt on the parapet wall, lost her balance and fell…but she was never the girl who may commit suicide…NEVER,” her mother Meeta Bharti had said in an interview aired in 2012.
Secret marriage
Divya had married Sajid in 1992 but kept the nuptial knot secret to protect her prosperous career from any controversy. She had changed her name to Sana Nadiadwala after marrying the Muslim Bollywood producer. These details came to light after her demise.
She had changed her name to Sana Nadiadwala after marrying the Muslim Bollywood producer. But kept it a secret and did not declare. These details came to light after her demise.
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