Over the years, Bollywood has seen its fair share of tragedies that come with fame like two sides of a coin.
On August 23, Sonali Phogat, who rose to fame on TikTok and Big Boss 14, was taken dead to St. Anthony Hospital in Goa. A suspected heart attack was given as the cause. On Thursday, Goa Police returned a murder charge to two associates of BJP leader Sonali Phogat after a post-mortem report mentioned that her body had “multiple blunt force injuries”.
Let’s look at some of the most controversial Indian celebrity deaths:
1) Sushant Singh Rajput:
Rajput’s name should come first. As India reeled under the first wave of Covid-19, the controversy following his death gave India a perspective stating that all that glitters is not gold, particularly the glittering world of Bollywood.
On June 14, 2020, Rajput was found dead at his home in Mumbai. He had reportedly shown signs of clinical depression and suffered from bipolar disorder. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was “suffocation by hanging” and a “clear case of suicide”. On July 25, Rajput’s family in Patna, where his father lives, filed a criminal complaint, accusing Rhea Chakraborty and five others of assisting in suicide.
On July 31, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a case to investigate the laundering of Rajput’s money from his bank accounts by Chakraborty, her parents and associates. Later in August, India’s Supreme Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation to take over the investigation and ordered it to investigate all future cases registered in relation to Rajput’s death. Later, the Narcotics Control Bureau also filed a case to investigate drug trafficking based on phone chats forwarded to him by ED during his investigation.
2) Sridevi
Her death was initially treated as yet another internet hoax, but soon her untimely demise was a topic of much prime-time debate.
Winner of five Filmfare Awards, renowned superstar Sridevi died on February 24, 2018 at the age of 54. Initially, her brother-in-law and actor Sanjay Kapoor announced the cause of death as cardiac arrest, but later the case was referred by Dubai Police to the Dubai Prosecutor’s Office, where the forensic department determined the cause of death was “accidental drowning”. The toxicology report also later revealed that traces of alcohol were found in her body and water in her lungs.
It has been estimated that her funeral has attracted the fourth highest number of mourners from the Hindi film industry in India, after Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Khanna.
3) Parven Babi
The first Bollywood star to grace the cover of Time Magazine in 1976 was found dead at her home on January 22, 2005.
Before her death, the actress had lived an isolated life for many years. No one knows for sure if she committed suicide or died of natural causes. An autopsy report suggested she may have starved to death.
After her death, chaos erupted when various distant relatives petitioned the High Court regarding the will of their assets, which were lying in a bank safe deposit box in Junagadh and jointly executed by actor and friend Murad Khan Babi. The will stated that 70 percent of her fortune would be put into trust in her name to help poor members of the Babi family. About 20 percent was pledged to Murad Khan Babi because he was “a leading force” and 10 percent was to be given to Christian missionary funds.
4) Divya Bharti
The 1990s was the promising decade in Bollywood, with an influx of many talented people making their debut in the industry. One of them was Bharti. Her career went smoothly, she became the next big thing, but her destiny had something else in mind. In the late evening hours of April 5, 1993, 19-year-old Bharti fell from the balcony window of her fifth-floor apartment in the Tulsi Buildings, Andheri West, Bombay.
While some claimed it was an accidental death, others speculate it was homicide. Divya was reportedly married to famous producer Sajid Nadiadwala and some claim her death had a lot to do with their marriage. In 1998, after five years, the police even dropped the investigation, but nothing was brought to light.
5) Jiah Khan
The 25-year-old starlet committed suicide on June 3, 2013 in Mumbai. Her sister later found a six-page handwritten note at her home, allegedly addressed to Khan’s friend Sooraj Pancholi. The note reportedly indicates that Khan intended to end her life. Pancholi, who was living with Khan, was taken into police custody pending the investigation.
In August 2016, the CBI ruled out a murder in the case. According to his investigation, Khan’s cause of death was “suicide by hanging”. Khan’s mother, Rabia, independently commissioned British forensic scientist Jason Payne-James, who concluded in a 2016 report that “Khan’s hanging was staged and the marks on her face and neck indicate it was not simply suicide.”
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