Divya Bharti refused to act opposite Chunky Panday, threw tantrums: Pahlaj Nihalani

Divya Bharti has been making headlines after producer Pahlaj Nihalani made a revelation about the late actress. In a recent interview, the producer opened up about an incident where the late actress refused to do a film opposite Chunky Panday, father of actress Ananya Panday. According to the producer, Divya Bharti threatened to do things if she was paired opposite the Khilaaf (1991) actor. 

4 things you need to know

• Divya Bharti made her acting debut at the age of 16 with the 1990 Telugu film Bobbili Raja. 
• Divya was one of the highest-paid actress of her time.
• The actress, in nearly four years, was cast in around 21 films before she died in 1993, aged 19. 
• She married producer Sajid Nadiadwala in the year 1992. 

Pahlaj Nihalani says Divya Bharti refused to act in a film with Chunky Panday

Shola Aur Shabnam (1992) producer Pahlaj Nihalani, in a recent conversation with Bollywood Thikana revealed that the actress summoned him when she was told to act opposite Chunky Panday in Aankhen (1993). Pahlaj said, “Yes, originally it was Divya, Pooja Bhatt and Juhi Chawla who were supposed to do the film. I decided that Divya should be paired with Chunky and Ritu Shivpuri should be opposite Govinda. When David told her this, she was annoyed. She called me up and began threatening to do things. She threw a big tantrum and summoned me. I went to meet her, and she said, ‘I’ve heard that I’m opposite Chunky?’ I said yes. She refused to do the film.” 

Aankhen eventually was made with the ensemble cast of Govinda, Chunky Panday, Ritu Shivpuri and Shilpa Shirodkar among others. The film eventually became a blockbuster at the box office and the highest-grossing film of 1993. 

Pahlaj Nihalani recalls meeting Divya Bharti for the first time

Pahlaj Nihalani was the one who introduced Divya Bharti to the Bollywood industry with his 1992 film Shola aur Shabnam. Recalling his first meeting with the actress, Pahlaj told the entertainment portal, "Maine bola isko reduce kar do, work kiya. Tab tak meri Shola Aur Shabnam ki shooting shuru ho gayi thi aur mere pas matlab kuch time reh gaya tha. 5-6 din ki shooting baaki thi. Baaki mera kaam khatam ho gaya tha without heroine. Filmcity mein shooting kar raha tha to Divya Bharti ko le ke aaya. (I saw her pictures and told the secretary that she must reduce her weight. In the meantime, the shooting was started for my film, Shola Aur Shabnam. Just 5-6 days’ work was left when Divya joined the team.)"

Divya Bharti died aged 19 in 1993 after she fell from the balcony of the fifth floor of her apartment in Mumbai. Her death became a controversial topic and many conspiracy theories were surfaced until it was declared an accidental death in 1998. Aankhen was released 4 days after the actress' death on April 5.