The making of Laadla remains one of the most unforgettable and challenging experiences of Anees Bazmee’s career. Looking back on the film years later, the filmmaker recently opened up about the heartbreaking loss of Divya Bharti, revealing how her sudden demise forced the team to rewrite and reshoot the project almost from scratch. He also shared why Sridevi eventually agreed to headline the film after rejecting its Tamil and Telugu versions, and remembered the final scene Divya shot before her tragic passing.
While audiences remember Laadla as one of 1994’s biggest blockbusters starring Sridevi, Anil Kapoor and Raveena Tandon, the film has a heartbreaking story behind its making. Divya Bharti was the original choice for the lead role and had
filmed several scenes before her tragic death on April 5, 1993. The unexpected loss left the makers with no option but to shelve the completed portions and reshoot the film from scratch with Sridevi replacing her. In a recent interview with Zoom, Anees Bazmee recalled the difficult period and called it “unfortunate.”
He said, “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. 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.”
He said that eventually Sridevi came on board and the film became even better because of her performance. He added, “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.”
Anees Bazmee revealed that convincing Sridevi to star in Laadla was not easy, as she had already rejected the film’s Tamil (Mannan) and Telugu (Gharana Mogudu) versions. Knowing this, the writer revisited the script to understand what may have prompted her earlier decision and made several changes to the Hindi adaptation. Although Sridevi initially reminded him that she had already turned down both versions, Bazmee persuaded her to hear the revised narration. Impressed by the changes, the actress praised the script and immediately agreed to be a part of the film.
Bazmee also looked back on his last day on set with Divya Bharti, sharing a memory that has stayed with him ever since. He shared, “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. 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 passed away on April 5, 1993, at the age of 19 after falling from the fifth-floor balcony of her Mumbai apartment, just months after marrying producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Her untimely death stunned the film industry and remains one of Bollywood’s most tragic and widely discussed incidents.
