As the Indian Cinema completes a decade, we look at some of B-Town's most shocking and scandalous stories
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Devika Rani elopes
Himanshu Rai, who ran Bombay Talkies, was left in the lurch when his wife, Devika Rani, ran off with the leading man of their latest production just four days before filming was to start!
Guru Dutt’s death
Guru Dutt was found dead on his bed in a rented apartment at Peddar Road. He is said to have been mixing sleeping pills and alcohol as he couldn’t rest. His death may have been suicide or just an accidental overdose. Incidentally, Asha Bhonsle was the last person he spoke to.
Dilip Kumar slaps Madhubala
Dilip Kumar apparently slapped Madhubala on the sets of Mughal-e Azam which they were shooting for the film. The reason surmised was that the actor was miffed with her diva-like attitude.
Divya Bharti’s death
Divya Bharati who was married to director-producer Sajid Nadiadwala died in 1993. Bharati fell to her death from a five-storey in Versova. There was much speculation by the media regarding Bharti's sudden demise including the possibility of suicide, accidental death, conspiracy or even murder. Some conspiracy theories involved her husband while other theories suggested mafia complicity.
Sanjay Dutt linked with bomb blast case
It came as a surprise when Sanjay Dutt’s name cropped up in the 1993 bomb blast case. After political intervention by father Sunil Dutt, he was eventually let off the hook. As of now, he is expected to serve three and a half years in jail.
Zeenat Amaan beaten
Zeenat Azaam was apparently dating Sanjay Khan and the couple was in a hotel when Sanjay reportedly slapped Zeenat. To make things worse, the actress was left with not only a black eye but a damaged one at that.
Salman-Shahrukh fight
Both the superstars fought at Katrina’s birthday party about five years ago. There are multiple reasons attributed to the bust-up. One being professional insecurity.
Salman-Aishwarya ruckus
Ash was shooting for Chalte Chalte, when Salman apparently landed up on the sets and created a scene which resulted in Aishwarya losing the film to Rani Mukherji. Salman also used to land up at her house late in the night and create fodder for tabloids.
Parveen Babi’s accusations
She was rumoured to have diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia — a genetic mental illness — although she regularly denied it and said that it was a conspiracy by the film industry and the media to malign her image and make her appear as insane so that they can cover up their crimes!
Amitabh Bachchan’s accident
Amitabh Bachchan had a life-threatening accident on the sets of Coolie. The actor remained clinically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death. Nevertheless, he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation.u00a0