Bollywood Celebrities Who Died Young

1.Divya Bharti: Bollywood lost another starlet with the demise of Divya Bharti at a young age. She was only 19 years old when she died falling from the fifth floor of her Versova apartment. She was a rising talent in films and her death came as a huge shock for the industry. In an interview with idiva, Divya's mother Mita described her as a lovely child who wasn't fond of studying. Divya had married Sajid Nadiadwala at an early age. Speaking about the same, Divya's mother told idiva, “I knew she was married. I’d never have been able to stop her. I supported her so that she’d continue confiding in me and wouldn’t head in another direction.” Reveals Mita in the interview, “They must have had normal tiffs. Sajid and Divya were only together for eight months. Where did they have the time to enjoy life? She was not ambitious. Her aim in life was to marry and have children. She’d joke, ‘I’ll throw my kids in your lap and go to work’.”

2.Smita Patil: She was another one of Bollywood's most loved actresses. Smita Patil had proved her acting prowess with a lot of films, and had a career bejeweled with awards. She was a National Award winner and also a much applauded actress. However her personal life has been debated a lot. She fell in love with Raj Babbar and the two got married. They had a kid, Prateik Babbar. She reportedly died, two weeks after Prateik was born, due to childbirth complications. However things have been strained between Prateik and Raj Babbar. In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Prateik said, "Dad was never around while I was growing up. He was always busy with his other family and I had to go and meet him at their house. Why did my mother pass away? It still hurts to come to terms with this reality. Over to movies." While Raj Babbar too has his side of the story, talking to Mumbai Mirror, he said, "So far I've felt that if the truth hurts the people close to you, it is not worth telling. I've always thought about my family. And that surely includes Prateik. The good of my family is my primary concern. However, now everyone feels that it's about time I told my version of the truth. And I agree."

3.Taruni Sachdev: Popularly known as the Rasna girl, Taruni Sachdev passed away in a plane crash in Nepal in 2012. She was only 14 years old then, but had worked in numerous advertisements and had done films too. She was the face of Rasna advertisements, and the cute girl became very popular with it. According to a report in The Times of India, Taruni aspired to become an actress, and had told director Vinayan T G (who introduced her to films in 2004), "Uncle, I want to do the heroine's role in your film." She had also done a remarkable role in Amitabh Bachchan's Paa. Big B was shocked with the news. "Shocked and deeply grieved on learning of the tragic end of Taruni. Taruni, a talented little child, who played much beyond her years, cute, confident and so immensely lovable. My prayers!" Big B wrote on Twitter.

4.Jiah Khan: The death of Jiah Khan created a stir in the industry. This young and budding talent was reportedly found dead at her apartment in Juhu in June 2013. She was just 25. As an immediate consequence of the death, Jiah Khan's alleged boyfriend Sooraj Panscholi was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide. According to a report in The Times of India, a six paged letter allegedly written by Jiah was found by the police and that Jiah Khan's mother, Rabia Khan had questioned the suicide theory. In an interview with The Times of India, Rabia Khan opened up about her daughter, saying, "Reports that my daughter was depressed because of work is all rubbish. She was fine; she was sincere, pure and not manipulative at all. She could not stand lies, deception and lies from the only one she loved the most. I am not being revengeful but telling the truth. She fell for a wrong guy." According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the Pancholis had filed a 100 crore defamation case against Rabia Khan. While the legalities are on, Bollywood remembers Jiah as the sensuous beauty of Nishabd.

5.Aarthi Agarwal, who had made her acting debut at the age of 16, with the Bollywood film, Pagalpan, died of cardiac arrest in a hospital in the US after a failed liposuction surgery. Her manager was quoted in an IANS report as saying that, "Aarthi was battling obesity and pulmonary illness. She was undergoing treatment and due to some complications, she suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away." In 2005, she had reportedly attempted suicide after an alleged relationship with a co-star turned bitter and her films did not do well at the box office. After her Bollywood career failed to pick up, Aarthi moved down South. She had made her debut in Telugu films with the hit Nuvvu Naaku Nachav in 2001. She went on to act in hits such as Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu, Indra and Vasantham with stars like Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. However, a source has been quoted in the report as saying that, "From 2008 to 2015 she worked in only four films and was almost forgotten. I think she had put on weight and had decided to undergo surgery."

Like Aarthi, fate was't kind to many Bollywood celebs. Here's taking a look at the celebs whose lives were cut short

Silk Smitha - Interview from Filmfare

WHO WAS SILK SMITHA?

SILK Smitha's rise from an aspiring starlet to super star status can only be described as meteoric. Coming from an obscure Andhra village, this star struck peasant girl, had acted in over 200 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam Kanada and Hindi in short span of 4 years.

Her first film surprisingly, was in Malayalam, Innayaihhed. She had a minor role. It was her second film, Vandichakram (her first Tamil film} that she became SILK Smitha after her portrayal of an arrack waitress. The role won her tremendous acclaim. A host of roles cast in glamourous moulds followed.

She was born on 2nd December, 1960 and In 1996, Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment. She had tried to turn int a film producer but financial problems, a disillusionment in love and an alcohol dependency apparently led to depression. It is suspected that Smitha committed suicide by poisoning herself. Her Filmfare interview is dated December 1984.

Vamp, seductress, night club dancer par excellence with few inhibitions about shedding her clothes, Silk Smitha has become a household name for film goers in South India. And with ‘Sadma’, she has become familiar to Hindi audiences.

I heard to lot about her. That she was a sizzler; a piece of red hot property ensuring success of any film. That she was ruthless in her dealings with press; that she treated producers and film makers like scum. That she was haughty, unsocial and disrespectful towards colleagues and senior artistes. I had heard…

It was unthinkable that anyone with such a reputation could continue to thrive in any profession, leave alone be at the top. It was, therefore, with considerable trepidation that I set out to meet “Silk” Smitha and out what made here click. I was in for surprises.

I was granted a audience without the usual starry fuss. Standing before me was not the glamour puss of over 200 films, but a dark looking girl with those hauntingly dreamy eyes so characteristic of her. She was neither haughty nor curt. On the contrary, she appeared eager to talk to us. The interview (conducted in her comfortably furnished living room) in Telugu accented Tamil with a few English words thrown I, took nearly two hours. And what unfolded was the story of a star-struck village girl’s struggle against tremendous odds.

Today, ‘ Silk’ is at the top as far as glamour roles are concerned. But the peak is narrow and precarious. But the peak is narrow and precarious. Others like Anuradha and already crowding the summit. How long will the ‘Silky’ days last before the inevitable fall comes?

I understand that you were born and brought up in a rural atmosphere with no film background. How then did you enter films?

Some uncles and cousins of mine are in Telugu films. But that had nothing to do with y entry into films. Even as a small girl I wanted t become a great actress, so when I came to Madras and got a role in the Malayalam film ‘In-ayaithedi’. I was very happy.

How did your family react to your entry into films? 

At first there was considerable opposition. They did not want me to become an actress. But now I have a good name and money. Now there are no problems.

You seem to be specializing in glamour roles…
Well, actually I wanted to become a character actress like Savithri, Sujta and Saritha. But in my second film ‘Vandichakram’ (her first film in Tamil), I was put in a glamour role. It was in that film that I played the character called ‘Silk’ Smitha….. (Laughs). It was actually a very good role and people liked my performance. It led to more and more glamour roles. I cannot afford to displease my producers and directors so I continue to accept them. But my ambition remains the same. To become a good character role for ‘Alaigal Oviathikillai’, which was a hit. But somehow I continue to get more glamour roles.

But now that you have a standing in the film industry, will you be more choosy in your roles? Will you insist on switch-over to serious roles when you are approached for future films?
I’d love to make a name for myself as a character actress. But I’ll never insist that I will d only serious roles. You see I depend onn my producers and directors for my success. They have utilized my talents to sell their films, but in the process they have also made me what I am. I shall do whatever roles they want me to. 

You have acted in over 200 films-you must have worked with various directors and actors. With whom do you like working the most? 

Bharathi Rajaa is a very good director. I like working with him, so also with Balu Mahendra. He is a perfectionist. He will retake the same shot several times until he gets the effect he desires. But he is very pleasant in his behaviour and can extract work and maximum co-operation from the actors and actresses.
 

Kamal Haasan is the best actor I have acted with. In Telugu, Chiranjeevi is very good. Both of them are very good dancers too. I love doing dance scenes with them.
There has been a lot of criticism about you in the press. That success has gone to your head. That you are very discourteous and disrespectful in your dealings with film makers and co-artistes. Any explanations? 

These are malicious allegations made against me in magazines which claim to be film magazines but are actually purveyors of yellow journalism. They have written a lot of bad things about me which are simply not true. They have accused me of treating my producers and others badly. Now, that is totally untrue. If it were true, then nobody will be casting me in their films. Why should I treat my producers badly when I know very well that I wouldn’t have been what I am but for them?
They have accused me of being disrespectful towards senior colleagues and artistes like Sivaji Ganesan, because I sit with my legs crossed in front of them. It is my habit to sit with my legs crossed when I am relaxing. I have been that way since childhood. Nobody had ever told me that was bad manners. But now, just because it does not suit the social norms of some narrow-minded journalists, it is being turned into a big issue.
 

 They have accused me of being disrespectful toward MGR sar by boycotting a function at which he was presiding. (In Tamil Nadu where movie stardom is an adjunct to political ambitions, it is considered blasphemy for actors and actresses to keep away from a function presided over by chief minister M.G. Ramchandran.) I would not even dream of boycotting any such function. You see, I had given dates for the shooting of a Telegu film with Chiranjeevi who was leaving the country the next day. And this particular function was also fixed for the same date. I am working to a very tight schedule and if I do not agree to shooting on that particular date, the producers would have had to wait for some months before I could give them a date again. I never dreamt that would be misconstructed as showing disrespect to the chief minister. (shrugs}

If, as you say, all these allegations against you are false, then why are these stories spread?
My career has been short. Just about 4 years and in this time I have acted over 200 films. Naturally, there must be several people who are jealous of my success.  I think it is such people who are behind all this malicious propaganda. They're trying to damage my reputation. Quite recently, you were involved in an enforcement case...? 

Yes, there is a story behind that incident. I had to go to Singapore on a publicity tour at the request of music director, M.S. Viswanathan. MSV's family was accompanying us. Though I have acted in so many films, I am basically a shy person. I get nervous when I have to address people. I develop stage fright if I have to dance before a lot of people. I agreed to accompany MSV's party only on the condition that I would not be asked to dance. At a function in Singapore, I was introduced to the audience. I said namaskaram and left the stage but the people started clamouring for me to dance. That day I was escorted by the police to the room.
 

Then MSV came to my room and told me that my fans would not let the programme go on unless I danced before them. He asked me to oblige. I refused. The very next day, without even telling me MSV and his family left for India, leaving me alone. I think that was highly irresponsible behaviour on the part of a senior, respectable person like MSV  leaving a woman alone to fend for herself in a strange land. I somehow persuaded the organisers of the trip to return my passport and I too flew back to Madras.

At the airport, I was cleared by the customs. I had to pay a small amount of duty on some of the things I had brought for me. It was later that some enforcement officials come to check up on me. There were six of them from the CBI I think. They searched all my things, then apologised and went away. They said they had received information that I was smuggling something. I don't know who gave such information. I also don't know what happened to that case after that.Is it your ambition to get into Hindi films in a big way? 

I want to act in as many films as possible it does not matter which language. I had an opening in Hindi films through Jaani Dost. Then there was Sadma which is a remake of  Moonram Pirai. I had a longish role in another Hindi film. I don’t remember the name. I am now doing few more films... I am not familiar with Hindi names...
Well, if I continue to continue to get glamour roles, i cannot continue for a long. You see in such roles there are several limitations. But my ambition in life is to become a good character actress. I know I can succeed if only I am given a fair chance.
What about plans of matrimony? 

(Laughs} I will marry and settle down at some stage. But not just yet. Only after I have achieved all I want in acting.

Silk Smitha - The mystery of India’s biggest sex symbol

The sheer mention of this name increased the heart rate in thousands of men, and envy and disgust to thousands of women in the darkest era of Indian cinema, the over-the-top and sleazy 80’s. And to this day, her sultry personality, her mesmerizing eyes and her irreverently sexy aura hasn’t left our memories even 18 years after her mysterious death in 1996. Such was her legacy that it even spawned Vidya Balan’s most successful movie till date, The Dirty Picture and numerous adaptations in regional cinema.

Some loved her, some hated her, and some loved to hate her. But she will never be forgotten.

When we look back on ‘Silk’ Smitha’s short yet fiery roller-coaster of a life, from being a gutsy young girl in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh to becoming the biggest sex symbol this country has ever seen.

Before ‘Silk’, Early life:

She was born in 1960, to a couple of poor parents in the non-descript village of Somavarappadu, Andhra Pradesh as ‘Vijayalakshmi’.

‘Letting go’ was not a strange concept to her

Due to her family’s financial constraints, she left school after the fourth grade. Not too much later, her parents married her off at a considerably young age. And when her husband and in-laws started ill-treating her, she fled to Madras to live with an aunt, and pursue her dreams.

From Vijayalakshmi to Smitha

Before the ban on female make-up artists, Vijayalakshmi started out as one herself for a D-grade artist. It was at this time when director Vinu Chakravarthy was awestruck by her raw beauty, and saw potential in her. He took her under his wing, got his wife to teach her English and even arranged dancing lessons for her. Vinu felt that she needed a new name, a new identity. On a late summer afternoon, Vijayalakshmi became ‘Smitha’.

And from Smitha to ‘Silk’ Smitha

Her first major role came in the form of a bar dancer in Vandichakkaram(1979). In the film, the regular drunks at the bar called her Silukku, which roughly translates to ‘oomph’ in Tamil, much to her character’s disdain. Little did she know, ‘Silukku’ would become ‘Silk’, a name that the world would have on its lips for a long time to come.

She brought back the dead, and buried the dying

In a brief period, Silk had become the queen of erotica, with her item numbers and ‘special’ performances set the screens on fire, the audience hungry for more and the cash registers running. It’s believed that shelved films that were lying in the cans for years were brought back from the dead, with a simple addition of a Silk Smitha song. On the other hand, she also inadvertently destroyed the careers of many a starlet who were on their way to oblivion anyway.

She was a sex siren, nonetheless, but she shut her critics up every now and then

Many bigwigs in the industry, even after exploiting her for their own success, panned her for being a sellout and that she wouldn’t last long. And while never refused the glamorous roles offered to her for the sake of a few producers and directors, she stuck it back to her critics with nuanced performances like in Alaigal Oivathillai and Moondram Pirai. She always wanted to be a character actor, and working with her favourite directors Bharathiraja and Balu Mahendra gave her those rare chances to expand her horizons.

She was highly misunderstood by most people

Like how our society is even today, Silk was often met with preconceived notions and was written off by many dailies and magazines of those days as a rude, disrespectful and curt. In reality, the people who really knew her loved her for her surprisingly plain, generous and honest personality. One incident that got her a lot of bad press was her refusal to perform at MS Viswanathan’s party in Singapore, following which MSV and his family abandoned her there and left for India. Her firmly-rooted principles were often misjudged, and got her into trouble every now and then.

She knew that she would never last as a glamorous heroine

After having done around 200 films, she still believed that her image would not last forever. To find her true calling, she turned a film producer in the mid-90’s and set out to invest everything into her new ambition.

Her sudden death shocked many, and haunts a few to this very day

On September 23, 1996, Kannada actor Ravichandran, a close friend of Silk, was busy shooting and found out that she had frantically tried to reach him. He tried to speak to her, but the call never got through due to poor connectivity. But he sensed that evening that she might have been wanting to tell him about something that troubled her.

The very next day, Ravichandran along with the rest of the world was shocked to hear that Silk had taken her own life. Though no one knows for sure, Silk was going through many problems which might have caused this decision: financial issues, disillusionment in love and severe depression. Like a burning star, Silk was all of just 35 years of age when she left us.