It must have been unbelievably shocking for actor Aari, like many others, when he came to know about his Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakkathilae (MPM) co-star Shubha Phutela’s demise. The 22-year-old model-turned-actor from Punjab, who had signed a couple of Tamil and Telugu films, succumbed to brain hemorrhage on October 22. “I got the news pretty late as I was away from my phone the whole day. And when I heard this, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. Aari, who couldn’t attend her funeral at Ludhiana, said Shubha’s immune system was pretty weak during the making of MPM and that she used to fall sick quite often. “It’s unbelievable that everything happened in a span of just three months. Only in films things like these can happen so quickly,” he said.
Shubha used to be very lively, sincere and dedicated on the sets of MPM, said Aari. “She was bubbly, interacted with everyone and was very down to earth. We used to have a good laugh on her for her Tamil accent, but she made efforts to speak it correctly as the movie was recorded live,” he added. Though initially her father, Rajpal Phutela, was not interested in her daughter entering the film industry, with time, he agreed.
“She had big dreams. She wanted to do more South Indian films and make it big in Bollywood someday. She probably never imagined that her first film will be her last,” lamented Aari.
The actor said Shubha loved to be in the limelight. “When someone asked for her autograph, she got overwhelmed. She enjoyed being a celebrity and getting noticed,” he said and added that she had touched several hearts with her performance. “I have been receiving a lot of phone calls inquiring about her demise and many conveyed their condolences to her family,” he concluded.