T’wood glitz devours vulnerable divas

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Beneath the outward glitz and glamour, the lives of many Tollywood actresses have been punctuated by tears and tragedy. Those with grit and determination find the strength to go on while the vulnerable have often fallen prey to the demons unleashed by fame and fortune.

Their names are legion —Divya Bharati, Silk Smita and Pratyusha in recent times — and all of them found refuge in death. On Tuesday, another name was added to the sorry list —Bhargavi. The budding actress was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend Praveen Kumar, who then committed suicide.

"Most of the actresses enter films at a tender age and they are unable to adjust to the realities of the industry," said Dr C. Veerender, a noted psychologist. "Even relatives and close friends cannot understand the conflict in the minds of these actresses who have to grapple with the culture of tinsel world."

Divya Bharati, who started her career at 16 in a Telugu film Bobbili Raja (1990), went on to become a star in Bollywood too. She then married Sajid Nadiadwala, a Hindi film producer.

The actress slipped and fell from the window-sill of her husband’s fifth floor flat in Mumbai early on the morning of April 5, 1993. Many believed she was murdered because she knew too much about the Mumbai underworld.

Silk Smitha, who performed in more than 200 films, took her own life after personal tragedies and financial troubles proved to be too much.

But for most film lovers, Bhargavi’s tragic end has brought back memories of another Telugu actress, S. Pratyusha, who died in an uncannily similar manner in Hyderabad on February 24, 2002.

Like Bhargavi, Pratyusha was also killed by her boyfriend Siddharth Reddy who later consumed poison. However, he survived and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

Like Bhargavi, Pratyusha too had become popular in a short span of time. Both were fluent in Telugu and directors liked them for their "native" looks. Both had entered the film industry after a stint in television.

"Bhargavi’s death is unfortunate," said veteran actress Jayasudha. "Like Pratyusha, she was also very talented," she added.

Ms P. Sarojini Devi, Pratyusha’s mother, also said Bhargavi’s tragedy reminded her of her daughter. "When girls get fame and popularity and become busy, the boys they love mistake it for pride and take extreme steps," she said.

Parents in great shock

untur, Dec. 16: Actor Bhargavi’s parents — Mr Rajendra Prasad and Ms Bhanumathi — were shocked to hear the news of their daughter’s death on television. In fact, Bhargavi’s mother fainted soon after hearing the news. The parents have been living in Gorantla village near Guntur while Bhargavi had relocated to Hyderabad more than two years ago. Mediapersons rushed to her parents’ residence soon after the news of Bhargavi’s death broke out.

Bhargavi was a student of Stalls Girls High School in Guntur. She studied for Intermediate at a local college. Right from her school days, Bhargavi was fond of dancing and anchoring shows. To that extent, she also developed her skills to become an actress. She used to perform in school and college. She later shifted to Hyderabad. It was the movie Ashtachamma which made her famous. Her father said that Bhargavi had come to Guntur four days ago to attend a private programme. He also said that she had a quarrel with Pravin Kumar.

Killer had talked of murder

Nellore, Dec. 16: Bhargavi’s lover, 39-year-old Praveen Kumar alias Bujji, it is believed, hinted about his intention to murder the actress to close friends who did not take him seriously. They thought he was only voicing his frustration.

Friends said, Bujji had told Bhargavi to quit films after her parents started imposing restrictions on his visits to their house. According to them, Bujji had married the actress about two years ago. At that time, she was working in his Saibaba Orchestra in Nellore as an anchor.

Incidentally, Bujji was instrumental in giving a break to the actress in movies. He was responsible for her roles in Lady Bachelors, Subbu and Narasimha Naidu. She had also acted in Bangaram and Chetabadi apart from Ashtachamma.

"Bujji had very good contacts in the film industry. He knew several popular singers and music directors. He used these contacts to get Bhargavi roles. Bhargavi’s parents wanted to end their relationship as their daughter had started earning good money," one of Bujji’s friend said.

Bujji has a daughter from his first marriage with Dolly, the daughter of a retired DSP of Guntur. The marriage ran into trouble because of his extramarital affair with one Swapna Reddy, a singer in his troupe.

He then married Swapna and built a house for her in Nellore. He had another daughter from Swapna. However, even Swapna distanced herself from Bujji after she came to know of his affair with Bhargavi.

Passion murders on the rise in AP

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Murders of young women by insecure and jealous lovers and husbands are on the rise in the state. Extra-marital affairs and sexual jealousy are the motives for many murders but nowadays, the insecurity caused by the career growth of women are also provoking lovers to kill them.

There has also been an increase in the number of men killing their wives or girlfriends and later committing suicide. Apart from dowry harassment related killings, at least 720 women are murdered in the state every year.

According to State Crime Records Bureau, around 641 suspicious deaths as well as suicide attempts of women occur every year. Most of them happen within seven years of marriage."Several such incidents have occurred in Madhapur and Rajendranagar areas where the women were earning more than their husbands or live-in partners," said an official of Cyberabad police. "In the IT sector, women are earning really well."

On February 9, 2007, TV news reader and anchor B. Lakshmi Sujatha was killed by her boyfriend Chandrashekar alias Chandu. The incident was similar to the death of Bhargavi. "In Vijayawada too a TV news reader was murdered in similar way," said Mr Umapathy, inspector-general of the CID (Women Protection Cell). "Career growth of women makes male partners jealous."

"When the woman gets recognition, new people come to their lives," said a senior police officer of DIG rank. "Their old acquaintances become burden to them. As they move up the ladder, the old male partner becomes restless and sometimes resorts to extreme steps." Murders of women are reported mostly from Guntur, Mahbubnagar, Hyderabad and Cyberabad. There are also instances where petty quarrels lead to sudden provocation and killings.