Not Sridevi, This Actress Was The First Choice For The 1994 Hit Film Laadla

Late actress Divya Bharti’s legacy still stands tall in Hindi cinema, even after 31 years of her death. Although she appeared in just a handful of films in her short-lived career, her natural charisma and charming good looks brought her a lot of acclaim, especially after an electrifying performance in Shola Aur Shabnam, opposite Govinda. Divya’s untimely death at the mere age of 19 cut short her career when she was at her peak. She was already shooting for quite a few films at the time of her death and one of them was the 1994 film Laadla, starring Anil Kapoor. Unlike typical films of that era, where the female lead did not have much to do in male oriented films, Laadla demanded a very strong screen presence and dominance from its female lead. In the film, a determined factory owner marries the union leader of her factory in an attempt to subdue his defiance and teach him a lesson. Through this process, she ends up learning a few lessons herself. The factory owner’s role was offered to Divya Bharti and she accepted the role. She even completed shooting 50 percent of Laadla, when she died from a fall from her fifth floor apartment balcony on April 5, 1993.

The production budget then took a sharp spike as the crucial scenes of the film having to be reshot with a replacement actress. Sridevi, who had worked with Anil Kapoor numerous times earlier, was chosen as the female lead. Sridevi was also shown reels of Divya Bharti, so that she could understand the character of Sheetal Choudhary well.

After its theatrical release, Laadla emerged as a hit, grossing Rs 13.91 crore worldwide, while the production cost was Rs 3.25 crore, according to Box Office India. The Raj Kanwer-directed film also starred Anupam Kher and Raveena Tandon. According to IMDb, Laadla was initially offered to actress Nagma, who reportedly turned it down. Media reports also indicate that the film was originally planned with Rishi Kapoor in the lead role but was later cast with Anil Kapoor instead.