It has been more than three decades since the 1994 blockbuster, Mohra, starring Suniel Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Naseeruddin Shah and Raveena Tandon, hit the theatres. While the film was a massive hit, for the actors, it holds some emotional memories, as this was the last time they got to work with the late actress, Divya Bharti, who was the original choice for the female lead. She even shot for five days before tragically passing away at the blooming age of 19. Her co-star, Suniel Shetty, remembered the late actress in his latest interview.
Suniel Shetty remembers shooting with Divya Bharti before her death
The untimely demise of Divya Bharti remains one of the most mysterious cases of Bollywood. The Shatranj actress had an immensely promising career before she lost her life in a bizarre accident in 1993, at the mere age of 19. While reports stated that she had a tragic fall from the balcony of her fifth-floor Mumbai apartment, her untimely death remains a mystery even after three decades. At that time, she was working on her last project, Mohra.
In a recent interview with Radio Nasha, Suniel Shetty opened up about his time shooting with the late Divya Bharti, who was the original choice for the role of ‘Roma Singh’, the female lead in Mohra. The actress had filmed a few scenes before her untimely and tragic demise, which occurred just a week into the shooting schedule. She was later replaced by Raveena Tandon, and after its release in 1994, the film became one of the biggest hits of the year. Recalling Divya’s infectious energy and vibrant presence on the set, Suniel Shetty shared:
“We shot at Belgaum jail, but that girl was absolutely fearless. She was full of life and masti. Hum Rajiv [director Rajiv Rai] ko kaise sata sakte hain, Shabir [Screenplay writer and producer, Shabbir Boxwala] ko hum kaise sata sakte hain, hamari planning wahi rehti thi. What should we do to get people to laugh and lighten the atmosphere? She was an absolute treat to work with.”
Suniel Shetty reacts to Anil Kapoor’s “50% heroes” comment
In the same conversation, Suniel also addressed the long-standing remark made by Anil Kapoor, who reportedly dubbed him and his co-star, Akshay Kumar as “50% waale heroes” after the Mohra poster came out, implying that the film lacked a full-fledged hero and had two relatively new faces. Addressing the dig, Suniel said:
“Yes, there was this type of dialogue—I had seen it in the newspaper too. Lekin voh star the toh bol sakte the. He meant that a single hero should have been taken instead of two actors. Jawani mein hum sab ne kahin na kahin dialogue mara hai and media ko maza aata tha usse pick karne mein. But he is someone whom I have always admired, and he is a great actor. He is a very good human being once you get to know him. He is a very encouraging man.”
Despite the setbacks, Mohra turned out to be a big milestone in the careers of Suniel Shetty and Akshay Kumar, both of whom were relatively new faces back then. As for Divya Bharti, her memory continues to live on in the hearts of her fans and those who worked with her.
What are your views on Suniel Shetty’s recollection of shooting with Divya Bharti?
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