Filmmaker Anees Bazmee has revisited one of the most heartbreaking chapters of his career—having to rewrite and reshoot Laadla following the untimely death of actor Divya Bharti. Speaking in a recent interview, Bazmee reflected on the emotional toll the tragedy took on the team, why nearly the entire film had to be remade, how Sridevi eventually agreed to take on the lead role despite previously rejecting the story in Tamil and Telugu, and the chilling memory of Bharti’s final scene before her death.Released in 1994, Laadla featured Sridevi, Anil Kapoor and Raveena Tandon, emerging as one of the biggest commercial successes of the year. However, the film was initially shot with Divya Bharti as the female lead. After the actor died on April 5, 1993, the makers had no choice but to reshoot almost the entire film with Sridevi.Looking back at that difficult period, Bazmee said, “It was very sad and unfortunate. 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.”The filmmaker recalled that the entire team was left shattered.“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.”The makers eventually decided to restart the project with Sridevi in the lead, a decision Bazmee believes elevated the film.“When Sridevi ji came on board, the film became even better because of her performance. 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.”Laadla was the Hindi adaptation of the 1986 Kannada blockbuster Anuraga Aralithu, which was based on the novel Anuragada Anthapura. Before being remade in Hindi, the story had already been adapted into Tamil as Mannan (1992), starring Rajinikanth and Vijayashanti, and into Telugu as Gharana Mogudu (1992), featuring Chiranjeevi and Nagma.Bazmee revealed that convincing Sridevi to take up the Hindi remake wasn’t easy, as she had already rejected both the Tamil and Telugu versions.“The Tamil version starred Rajinikanth, while the Telugu version starred Chiranjeevi. Sridevi had turned down both films. Boney Kapoor said she wouldn’t do the Hindi version either because she had already rejected the Tamil and Telugu versions.”Determined to understand her reservations, Bazmee revisited the screenplay and made changes to the character.“I sat down and analysed why she must have rejected those films. I figured there had to be certain reasons, so I made a few changes.”When he narrated the revised script to Sridevi, she reminded him that she had already refused the earlier adaptations.“She told me, ‘Anees ji, I’ve already rejected both these films.’ I replied, ‘You can reject this one too, but at least hear it once because I’ve made some changes.’”His revisions worked.“After hearing the narration, she said, ‘This is very good,’ and immediately agreed to do the film.”Bazmee said director Raj Kanwar and producer Nitin Manmohan were pleasantly surprised by the outcome.“They hugged me and asked, ‘What did you do?’ I told them, ‘I only changed a couple of scenes from her perspective.’”The filmmaker also shared an eerie memory from his final day of shooting with Divya Bharti, revealing that her passing affected another project as well.“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.”He recalled the final shot they filmed together.“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 died on April 5, 1993, after falling from the fifth-floor balcony of her Mumbai apartment at the age of 19, just months after marrying producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Her sudden death sent shockwaves through the Hindi film industry and remains one of its most tragic losses.
