Jayati Bhatia considers herself “blessed” to have been a part of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali universe, and being around the filmmaker was nothing but “pure happiness” for her.

The actor, who has been getting recognition for her character of Phatto in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, tells us, “I’ve learned so much just by being on that set. I remember when I did theatre, I’d get butterflies and I’d be overwhelmed before going up on the stage; I felt exactly the same roller-coaster ride in front of the camera during Heeramandi’s shoot.”

Amid all the compliments, Bhatia says getting praises from veteran actor Rekha meant the world to her. “During the premiere, Rekha ji was talking to my co-actor Sanjeeda (Shaikh), as I stood in the corner, totally starstruck as I had never seen her from such a close distance before. She saw me, stopped the conversation midway, came up to me and said, ‘Lo, hum toh aapke fan ho gaye’. She gave me a hug and pecked my cheek,” gushes Bhatia, adding, “She also complimented me for working on my character the way I wanted. It was such a beautiful thing to hear and I’ll forever be grateful.”

Meanwhile, Bhatia is aware of the backlash her co-star, Sharmin Segal Mehta is facing. Stating that Bhansali got exactly what he was looking for from Alamzeb’s character, the actor feels Mehta is being unfairly targeted.

“People are trolling her unnecessarily by digging up old interviews given during promotions. She’s a young girl, who doesn’t know how to sugar-coat her words. She’s neither trying to put down anyone nor make others think anything highly of her. She is a person with a pure heart and has nothing against anyone,” Bhatia ends.

The TV industry is still reeling under the shocking death of Tunisha Sharma on the sets of her show Ali Baba Dastaan-e-Kabul. The 20-year-old actress reportedly died by suicide; she hanged herself in a make-up room on the sets in Naigaon on Saturday.

The Waliv police has arrested her co-star Sheezan Khan under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. Tunisha and Sheezan were apparently in a relationship, but in the past few days, there was trouble between them. Following her death, her mother lodged a complaint against Sheezan, after which he was arrested. Yesterday, he was produced at Vasai Court and has been sent to fourday police custody.

Tunisha’s co-actors from Ali Baba Dastaan-e-Kabul still can’t believe what has happened. Rumi Khan said, “I am shocked! How could this happen to someone who seemed absolutely fine just a few hours earlier? On Saturday, I was not shooting, but we had a quick chat over messages around 2 pm. She was like a daughter to me. She had lost her father when she was very young and she used to tell me that I resemble him. We shared a special bond and I cared for her. She was a sweet and kind soul and my heart goes out to her mother. ”

After the incident on Saturday, the shoot of Ali Baba Dastaan-e-Kabul came to a halt. The future of the show, too, seems uncertain, given the fact that Tunisha and Sheezan were the lead actors. However, the cast and crew are hoping that the shoot will resume at some point. “It is going to take some time for the production house to decide how to go about getting the show back on track,” said a cast member.

Tunisha was active on social media. A few hours before her death, she had posted a video on her Instagram stories, where she could be seen sitting in a chair getting her make-up done. “#BTS #STAYTUNED,” she wrote. She had also posted a picture from the set around the same time, with a caption that read, “Those who are driven by their Passion Doesn’t stop (sic).”

J Karthik, who plays the lead antagonist on Tunsiha-Sheezan’s TV show Ali Baba Dastaan-e-Kabul expressed shock saying, “If you see the videos Tunisha has posted just before the incident, it is hard to believe that someone in that frame of mind would take such a step. It looks like there is a hidden story behind this and I hope the investigation leads to some clear results.”

Kartik, who is currently in Bengaluru, has not been shooting for the show for the past few weeks. Talking about Tunisha and Sheezan, he said, “She came across as a very quiet, reserved girl and seemed very focused on her work. Tunisha and Sheezan were friends and there was no talk about a relationship of any sort that I am aware of. They would hang out together during lunch, they were jovial and happy.”

As a senior on the sets, Karthik feels that youngsters today find it difficult to deal with pressure. “There is this urgency and immediate need for instant gratification among youngsters, which can be disturbing. Everyone wants to do well and better than others, there is competition, but the competition is not healthy. They are in the rat race, but are unable to deal with the pressure that comes along with it. It is sad that there is nobody around who can spare some time and give a bit of advice when a person is feeling low. Everyone is fighting for survival; nobody wants to get involved in anybody else’s issues. It is a lonely world for someone so young and impressionable, and that can be scary.”

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The news of Vaishali Takkar’s death by suicide has shocked the television industry. She was found hanging at her home in Indore on Sunday. The 29-year-old actress reportedly left a note, which was also recovered. A case has been registered at Tejaji Nagar Police Station, Indore.

Actor Vikas Sethi and his wife Jhanvi Sethi, who were extremely close to Vaishali, are yet to come to terms with the fact that she is no more. The couple had spoken to her two days ago, and Vaishali had promised to meet them soon. Vaishali was planning to come to Mumbai for her wedding shopping. She was set to tie the knot with Mitesh Singh, a software engineer based out of California.

Jhanvi says, “She told me that she was coming to Mumbai post-Diwali for her wedding shopping. She had planned to stay with us. She had said, ‘Hum ghoomenge aur bachhon (Jhanvi and Vikas’ twins) ko bhi lekar jaayenge.’ She told me about her fiancé around five months ago, following which, I even chatted with him and spoke to him on a video call. He is quite sorted and sweet.”

Vikas shares, “She was set to get married in December. The two families were looking forward to finalising the date soon. When I spoke with her on Friday, she said, ‘Sab mast chal raha hai.’ She told me that she would do the shopping with us and host a party. She had made elaborate plans for her trip to Mumbai before the wedding. So, the news of her death shocked me to the core. At first, I dismissed it as fake news. I asked Jhanvi to call up Vaishali, but her calls went unanswered. We called her father, who told us that he was in the crematorium. We froze and broke down eventually. Jhanvi was inconsolable.”

He adds, “Her father told us that she sat and chatted with him for hours and hugged him tightly before calling it a night at 12. We have been told that she died by suicide around 12.30 am and her brother was the first to discover the body. It’s devastating because Vaishali was like family.”

Jhanvi and Vaishali knew each other for almost a decade. The actress lived with Jhanvi at her residence for a few years after she moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. Jhanvi says, “We were like sisters and would share everything with each other. In fact, she was instrumental in introducing me to Vikas, who was her co-actor in Sasural Simar Ka. Vaishali planned everything and took care of all the arrangements during our wedding.”

Vikas shares that Vaishali celebrated his birthday before leaving for Indore. “She has been a part of every celebration, big or small. She was the first one to hold our kids. She partied with us a week before May 12 to celebrate my birthday in advance, as she was leaving for her hometown, Indore. She was the life of every party. She was jovial and a lot of fun. There was never a dull moment with her,” he says.

The actress has left a suicide note. Talking about it, Jhanvi says, “I guess she was troubled because of her ex. She had spoken to me about it, and I told her that we would deal with it and sort it out. However, she told me not to worry and that she would handle the situation. I am at a loss for words. She was a loving girl and a beautiful soul.”

As per the police, a suicide note that was recovered from the spot suggests that Vaishali was stressed and was being harassed by her ex boyfriend, businessman Rahul Navlani. “TV actress Vaishali Takkar committed suicide by hanging herself at her residence in Sai Bagh Colony, under Tejaji police station limits in Indore,” an official said on Sunday.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Moti ur Rehman said, “Rahul was Vaishali’s neighbour, and the suicide note indicates that he used to harass her because of which she took such an extreme step. She was about to get married to another man and Rahul troubled her for that. The police are investigating the case. Rahul is currently not at his residence and has fled after locking his house. Police are locating Rahul, after which he will be questioned. Rahul Navlani is already married. ” — ANI

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A shocked Jayati Bhatia, who has worked with Vaishali Takkar in Sasural Simar Ka, said, “I can’t believe that a girl like her who used to be full of life, had a great sense of humour and was always smiling took such a drastic step. If Vaishali had to come in front of me right now, I would have scolded her and then given her a lot of love. She was really a very caring girl.”

Jayati remembers an incident in 2016, when she wanted to go to Ujjain and her flight was landing in Indore. She recounts, “Vaishali called me up and asked how I would travel from Indore to Ujjain alone. So she sent her parents to pick me up at the airport and also sent some sweets along with them. I was so touched by that. Her parent’s faces came in front of me after I heard about her death yesterday.”

She further adds, “If something was bothering her, she should have shared it with her parents or friends. She was very open about everything and would speak frankly to her parents. I don’t know why she couldn’t do that this time. It’s really heartbreaking and I feel a void in my heart.”

Actress Muskan Bamne posted a picture with Vaishali on her social media yesterday, and while speaking to BT, she said, “I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that she is no more. We worked together in Super Sisters, and it was really fun to be with her. She was like an elder sister who was always there for me. She was a very happy person. I don’t know anything about her personal life, but we used to interact on social media. The last time I spoke to her was when I had posted something recently, and she congratulated me.”

Manish Raisinghan, who was a part of Sasural Simar Ka, spoke to us about his interaction with Vaishali. He said, “Around the time I exited the show, Vaishali had joined. So even though we were part of the same show, we didn’t get a chance to work together. But I met her a few times. I remember I met her at a party which our makers had organized. She came and introduced herself to me and that was our first conversation. Vaishali seemed very energetic and full of life. She even told me that people on the sets used to tell her that her energy was just like mine on the sets, so it would have been fun shooting together. I will always remember her as someone who was happy and cheerful. It’s shocking to hear about her death and it is difficult to accept this.