'We Shot At Pahalgam Jail...': Suniel Shetty Recalls His ‘Fearless’ Co-Star Divya Bharti In Mohra
Not many remember that before Raveena Tandon lit up the screen in ‘Mohra’, it was Divya Bharti who had originally been cast in the film. She had begun filming alongside Suniel Shetty, but her sudden and tragic death cut that journey short. In a recent interview with Radio Nasha, Suniel recalled those brief days with Divya, praising her bold personality and natural talent. Her passing led to Raveena stepping into the role, and ‘Mohra’ would go on to become a defining film in 1990s Bollywood.
Suniel looked back on his time filming with Divya at the Pahalgam jail. He said, “We shot at Pahalgam jail, but that girl was fearless. There were real convicts in the jail, yet she was absolutely fearless. Again, she was full of life and masti. Toh kahin na kahin Rajiv ko kaise hum sata sakte hain, Shabeer ko hum kaise sata sakte hain, humari planning wohi rehti thi (So, in one way or another, figuring out how to tease Rajiv and Shabeer—that was always our plan), how we could make people laugh and lighten the atmosphere. It was an absolute dream to work with her.”
Divya Bharti, a top star of her time with films like ‘Deewana’ and ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’, tragically died at just 19 after a fall from her Mumbai apartment.
Suniel Shetty stepped into Bollywood with ‘Balwaan’, where he shared screen space with the late Divya Bharti. Later, ‘Mohra’, helmed by Rajiv Rai, catapulted him to fame. The action-packed hit brought together a star-studded cast including Akshay Kumar, Naseeruddin Shah, and Raveena Tandon, along with strong performances from Poonam Jhawer, Raza Murad, Paresh Rawal, Gulshan Grover, and Sadashiv Amrapurkar.
Suniel Shetty is gearing up for his next release, ‘Kesari Veer’, a historical action drama that also marks Sooraj Pancholi’s return to the big screen. The film, which features Vivek Oberoi and Akanksha Sharma in key roles, is set to hit theatres on 23 May.
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