On Friday night, news that actress Pratyusha Banerjee of Balika Vadhu fame committed suicide left many in the television industry in shock and grief.
While some claimed she was not the kind to commit suicide, the police report has registered it as one.
The 24-year-old was found hanging from the ceiling in her flat in Bangur Nagar in suburban Kandivli, the police said.
Before Banerjee, these actresses felt compelled to end their lives – some in a rather gruesome manner.
Divya Bharti
Bollywood actress Divya Bharti jumped from her fifth storey home in an apartment building in Versova, Mumbai. She was only 19 years old when she died on 5 April 1993.
Silk Smitha
A South-Indian legend, Silk Smitha committed suicide in her Chennai apartment on 23 September 1993. She rose to fame with her second film Vandichakram in which she played the role of a waitress. Bollywood made a biopic on her starring Vidya Balan.
Nafiza Joseph
Former Miss India Nafisa Joseph committed suicide in her Mumbai flat on 29 July 2004. She was reportedly suffering from depression. She was Miss India Universe and was one of the Miss Universe runners-up in 1997.
Kuljeet Randhawa
Actor-model Kuljeet Randhawa was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her house in Mumbai on 8 February 2006. She had left behind a suicide note addressed to co-actor Bhanu Uday in which she said no one was responsible for her death.
Viveka Babajee
A popular model Viveka Babaji, who made it big with the Kamasutra condom advertisement in the 1990s, committed suicide in her Bandra flat. Her body was found hanging on 25 June 2010.
Ruby Singh
A Bhojpuri film actress, Ruby Singh, committed suicide inside her rented flat in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai. The 25-year-old actress was found hanging on 10 February 2012.
Jiah Khan
Jiah Khan was found hanging in her flat in Juhu, Mumbai on 3 June 2013. Her boyfriend and budding actor Sooraj Pancholi is facing charges in a murder case filed by Khan’s family.
Disha Ganguly
Bengali actress Disha Ganguly’s body was found hanging by her fiance in her flat in Kolkata on 9 April 2015. She was believed to be a lesbian. The actress who was the face of a Bengali sitcom about same-sex marriages, was herself caught in a social struggle due to her sexuality. Ganguly’s friend, and said partner, tried to commit suicide days after her death.
Shikha Joshi
A Bollywood actress who was seen in BA Pass, Shikha Joshi was found dead at her rented apartment in city’s plush Versova area on 16 May 2015. The 40-year-old model-turned-actress has a 20-year-old daughter who lived in Delhi at the time. The incident turned murky when a video surfaced of her landlady asking her the reason behind such a drastic step while she bled to death. The video is still on YouTube.
Shruthi
Kannada TV actress Shruthi committed suicide at friend’s house in Bengaluru on 2 March 2016. The actress allegedly hanged herself after a fight with her friend after a party.
Also Read:
‘Balika Vadhu’ Star Pratyusha Banerjee Commits Suicide
Family of Pratyusha Banerjee Expresses Disbelief Over Her Death
“Pratyusha Can’t Commit Suicide”, Say Her Close Pals in Industry
(Correction, 11:55 am, 2 April: An earlier version of this article was published with an image of Kannada Bigg Boss 3 winner, actress Shruthi. We apologise for the mistake.)
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