Directed by the maestro Raj Kanwar and starring the iconic trio of Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, and Raveena Tandon, Laadla was the talk of the town in ’94. But hold onto your hats, because there’s so much more that meets the eye in this tale!
Do you know the Sridevi wasn’t the first choice for the movie. The character wasn’t written for Sridevi. Rather,’Laadla’ was all set to feature the talented Divya Bharti. Yes, even in fact, the time Sridevi was roped in, Divya Bharti completed 80 per cent of the film with only the climax portion remaining before her shocking untimely demise on April 5, 1993.
In an interview as quoted by Indian Express, Raj Kanwar spoke about casting Sridevi as Divya’s replacement. “I didn’t ask her, just told her that she should do it. She looked at me for some time and then told me to narrate the story for her. I did that, and she liked the role. She agreed, and the rest is history.”, he said.
In another interview, Anees Bazmee – writer of the film – shared, “We had completed the entire film, only the climax was left. We couldn’t think of shelving the film because when we sat down for the edit, we knew it would be a super hit. The producers and the entire cast and crew were sad and depressed for both reasons – losing Divya and the film being incomplete. Director Raj Kanwar, producer Nitin Mohan, and I sat down and rewrote many scenes that would complement Sridevi’s acting prowess and strength as an actor.”
Divya Bharti and Sridevi have always resembled each other so much, like twins, that they left many confused. Raj Kanwar’s idea to bring in Sridevi to fill Divya’s shoes definitely worked as the movie turned out to be a superhit. But wait, there’s more drama behind the scenes!
Raveena Tandon spilled the beans in an interview with Mumbai Mirror about a spine-chilling moment. Sridevi stumbled over the same line Divya struggled with before her untimely demise. Talk about goosebumps! To shake off the eerie vibes, the cast turned to some spiritual mojo, chanting the Gayatri mantra and smashing coconuts before getting back to work.
While sharing the details, Raveena Tandon shared, “The first shot was an emotional one for us because Sridevi had stepped into Divya Bharti’s shoes after her untimely demise. Divya, Shakti Kapoor, and I had shot a scene in Aurangabad where she fires us and throws us out of the office. While shooting the scene, Divya was constantly getting stuck on a particular line of dialogue and had to give several retakes before it was okay. Around six months later, we were shooting the same scene with Sridevi in the same office, and it was so eerie because she was stuck on the same line. All of us on the set had gooseflesh and Shaktiji (Shakti Kapoor) suggested we all chant the Gayatri mantra aloud. I held Sridevi’s hand as we said the prayers, then we broke a coconut and resumed shooting.”
At the tender age of 19, Divya Bharti left an indelible mark on the world of Hindi cinema. In just a whirlwind year and a half, she graced the silver screen with some of the biggest hits of the era, including ‘Deewana’ (1992), ‘Vishwatma’ (1992), ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ (1992), ‘Dil Ka Kya Kasoor’ (1992), ‘Balwaan’ (1992), ‘Kshatriya’ (1993), and ‘Rang’ (1993).
Despite the heartbreak, Divya Bharti’s legacy lives on through her unforgettable performances in Bollywood classics like ‘Deewana’ and ‘Vishwatma.’ She truly left her mark!