- Bhargavi was found stabbed to death at her Banjara Hills home on December 16, 2008
- Her live-in partner Praveen Bujji Kumar died by cyanide poisoning at the same location
- Police ruled Praveen stabbed Bhargavi before committing suicide, not a double suicide
On December 16, 2008, Telugu actress Bhargavi was getting ready for a film shoot very early in the morning. She spoke to her mother around 4 a.m., and to the producer of Holidays (the film she was shooting) around 6 a.m.
Hours later, her body was found in a pool of blood on the bed of her Banjara Hills home with seven stab wounds. Praveen "Bujji" Kumar, who was in a live-in relationship with the actress, was found with his head in her lap. He died from cyanide poisoning.
While initial reports suggested a double suicide, police later said Praveen had stabbed Bhargavi before committing suicide by consuming poison.
The Gandhi Hospital autopsy report stated she had been stabbed in the heart and other parts of the body, causing her death.
What led to Bhargavi's death
Police found a suicide note at the scene. Allegedly written by Praveen, the note read, "We have decided to commit suicide since her mother is not allowing us to meet."
The autopsy findings and subsequent police investigation, however, indicated that Praveen wrote lies.
In the note, Praveen claimed he had married Bhargavi in 2006 but that they were living separately, and that he killed her because she had begun neglecting him after her successful debut. Bhargavi's parents have denied she ever married Praveen.
Career
Bhargavi began her career on television and later moved into films. Before television, she performed as a dancer with the Sai Baba Orchestra in Nellore; Praveen headed that orchestra, and they are believed to have met through it.
She moved to Hyderabad to try her luck in films. Her first film role was as an unnamed college student in YVS Chowdary's Devadasu. She worked as a TV anchor on shows such as Aata and Maa Voori Vanta before appearing as Varalakshmi in Ashta Chamma. Although a supporting role, Ashta Chamma—adapted from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest—was an instant hit, and Bhargavi received multiple offers afterwards.
At the time of her death, she was working on Holidays and reportedly had about 10 other films in various stages of development.
Crime timeline
Various local reports say Bhargavi lived in a flat with her mother. They had travelled to Guntur to visit relatives before returning to Hyderabad either the day before or the morning of her death.
According to navatarangam.com, Bhargavi was preparing for a shoot and spoke to her mother at about 4 a.m. and to the Holidays producer at about 6 a.m. She reportedly came downstairs to meet her driver, Ramesh, at around 6:30 a.m., then returned upstairs to retrieve jewellery she had left behind.
It is unclear who first discovered the bodies; reports differ, naming the driver, the film's producer or two other crew members.
The pursuit of fame in the film industry can expose aspiring actors to fraught personal relationships and risky situations. Relationship struggles, possessiveness and blurred boundaries between professional and private lives sometimes result in tragic outcomes.
Bhargavi's death cut short a promising career before it could fully blossom.