Ayesha Jhulka cried while dubbing for her, Divya Bharti's film after her death: 'It was cancelled almost three times'

Ayesha Jhulka praised Divya Bharti with whom she shared a connection. She remembered how Divya insisted that Ayesha feature in Sajid Nadiadwala's Waqt Hamara Hai (1993).

Actor Ayesha Jhulka spoke about 'catfights' in the 1990s and her equation with her co-stars including Divya Bharti. In a new interview, she recalled how Divya insisted that Ayesha feature in Sajid Nadiadwala's Waqt Hamara Hai (1993). The duo featured together in Rang. She spoke about how Divya was thoughtful and shared her things with Ayesha. Remembering Divya, Ayesha said that the news of her death left her 'numbed'. She recalled how her dubbing for Rang was cancelled several times as she wasn't able to do it.

Ayesha Jhulka praised Divya Bharti with whom she shared a connection.

Divya died in 1993 after she fell from her Mumbai home's balcony. Rang (1993) was directed by Talat Jani and stars Divya, Ayesha, Kamal Sadanah, Jeetendra, Amrita Singh, Kader Khan among others. Waqt Hamara Hai released the same year was a romantic action comedy film, directed by Bharat Rangachary and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Ayesha, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Mamta Kulkarni and Anupam Kher.

In an interview with Times of India, Ayesha said, "I think it was hyped beyond the obvious. Maybe we were also childish, and sometimes there would be small little things. There wouldn’t be cat fights, but there would be complaints to the director or the producer. I really think it was blown out of proportion. I was very fond of Divya Bharti, and so was she. She used to say ‘I’m in love with you’. We were neighbours and would connect often. We did a film where we played sisters, it was called Rang. We were very close, though we wouldn’t meet that often, but there was a connection. I did Waqt Hamara Hai with Sajid (Nadiadwala), and she would come to the set and say, ‘Ayesha has to do this film’."

She also said that when she saw herself with Divya on the screen, 'all the memories would come rushing back'. She said that though she never met Divya before, they 'just connected'. Ayesha said that she doesn't think catfights 'were as important as love'.

Ayesha made her Bollywood debut with Kurbaan in 1990. She then featured in many films such as Khiladi and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Chachi 420 (1997), Himmatwala (1998), Run (2004), Socha Na Tha (2005) among many others. She will make her web series debut with Prime Video's Hush Hush. Directed by Tanuja Chandra, Hush Hush also features Juhi Chawla, Soha Ali Khan, Kritika Kamra, Shahana Goswami and Karishma Tanna. It will start streaming on September 22.