Reetika Choudhury
Celebrities often remain in the spotlight even years after their demise. Many Bollywood celebrities’ deaths have remained mysterious till date, shocking the entire country as well as leaving everyone in mystery and debate. Here is a list of the top 7 Bollywood stars, whose deaths were so mysterious that even after years, no one has an answer.
7. Jiah Khan
Jiah Khan was born in New York City, USA. She made her film debut in the 2007 Ram Gopal Verma film Nishabd for which she was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She was later noted for portraying a medical student in Ghajini which was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2008. On June 3rd, 2013, she was found dead hanging from a ceiling fan in her own bedroom. Initially suspected a suicide, her mother later claimed that she was murdered by her boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi, after several inconsistencies and defensive marks were found. Later, a six-page suicide note written by Jiah before committing the suicide, was found by her sister, where Jiah had directly accused Suraj.
6. Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s and 80s, having made more than 20 films, including Amar Akbar Anthony and Naseeb. He is considered one of the most influential Bollywood film directors and a pioneer of masala filmmaking. Desai met his tragic end on 1st March 1994. The man behind megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s career in Bollywood fell to his death from the balcony when it collapsed. It remains unclear if this was accident or suicide. Many say he took his life as he could not cope up with failing health and declining career.
5. Divya Bharti
Divya Bharti was born in Bombay, Maharashtra. At the age of 16 years, she landed a role in “Bobbili Raja”, a Telugu film in 1990. This movie became a hit and was dubbed in Hindi and released as “Rampur ka Raja”. Divya made her debut in Bollywood in 1992 “Dil Hi To Hai”. Thereafter she acted in 13 more movies amidst speculations that she would be the “next Sridevi”. She fell in love with Sajid Nadiadwala and married him secretly in 1992, despite her parents’ disapproval. She changed her religion from Hinduism to Islam and her name to Sana Nadiadwala. On April 5,1993, she had fallen from the fifth floor of her apartment in Versova, Mumbai, which had immediately led to an instant death of the rising star. Rumors were going on that she was intoxicated, when she had gone to the balcony, which led to her losing grip and had falling down. More rumors went on in the media that the actress had committed suicide or was most likely pushed by someone. However, till date, her cause of death is still a mystery.
4. Guru Dutt
Guru Dutt was born in Mysore. He was considered to be a filmmaker who was way ahead of his time. Dutt entered the Indian film industry in 1944, working as a choreographer in Prabhat Studios. Dutt made his directorial debut with Gamble (1951), which starred Dev Anand. Dutt met his wife, playback singer Geeta Dutt during the song recording sessions of Gamble. Dutt also made his acting debut in the film Baaz (1953), which he also directed. He finally tasted success with Aar Paar (1954). Dutt’s personal life had become complicated when he got romantically involved with Waheeda Rehman and his wife Geeta Dutt had separated from him as a result. But their love was also marked by tragedy. Dutt began struggling with alcoholism and depression, and his demons eventually overwhelmed him. In 1964, he was found dead on his bed. The cause of death was deemed a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills, although a debate still lingers over whether his death was by accident or a suicide.
3. Sridevi
Born in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, Sridevi started her career as a child actor at the age of four in the Tamil movie Thunaivan. She continued to act as a child artist in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her Bollywood debut as a lead actress in Solva Sawan (1978). She continued doing films till 1997 and after a 15 year-long hiatus, Sridevi returned to films with English Vinglish (2012). Sridevi married film producer Boney Kapoor in 1996 and they had two daughters, Jhanvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor. She was pronounced dead on 24th February 2018, after her husband, Boney Kapoor found her drowning in the bathtub. Multiple conspiracy theories followed her death. Many felt that her death was too suspicious to be an accident because the actress’ post-mortem reports had revealed the cause of her death as “accidental drowning” whereas it was first claimed that she suffered from a cardiac arrest.
Conspiracy or not, Sridevi’s death was a tragedy that the people of India were not prepared for. Whether there was any foul play involved in her death or not, people will continue to look back at her films. and remember the actress in a positive light.
2. Parveen Babi
Parveen Babi was born in Junagadh, Gujarat. Babi made her acting debut with the film “Charitra (1973)”, and received recognition through “Deewar”, “Amar Akbar Anthony” and many more. Babi was one of the highest paying actresses during the 1970s. Babi bid the film industry goodbye after working for 13 years. She then went to New York as she was known to have been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, a kind of delusional disorder. After her return to Mumbai in 1992, she accused numerous renowned dignitaries, like Bill Clinton and Amitabh Bachchan, of conspiring to kill her. Parveen Babi stayed unmarried throughout her life, though she involved in close relationships with multiple well known married men. She was found dead at her Juhu home on 23rd January 2005. According to sources, the actress had died by starving to death, which had led to multiple organ failure. Many had suspected foul play behind her death, but the police ruled out such possibilities.
1. Sushant Singh Rajput
And at number one on our list is Sushant Singh Rajput. He had made his debut in Hindi TV Serials like Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa and Pavitra Rishta. He made his Bollywood debut in “Kai Po Che” in 2013. He made a mark in the film industry with films like M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kedarnath and Chhichhore. On 14th June 2020, he was found hanging from the fan in his house with a blanket. Some claim that he had significant mental health problems and was depressed, while many of his fans, and even his family believe that it was a murder. Many accusations and debates regarding nepotism had surfaced in the media, hinting towards it as a main cause behind his death. Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who was allegedly in a relationship with him, was also accused as a prime suspect. His death shocked people throughout the country, and many demanded justice for him. However, the case linked to his death is still ongoing. Even though it was passed on to the CBI, they haven’t been able to come up with any conclusion.
