“I feel extremely sad that Suhani Bhatnagar, who played me as a child in the film Dangal, has passed away at such a young age.I can’t believe it. I am shocked by this news!! May God give peace to the departed soul at his feet and may her family and fans have the courage to bear this loss in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” Babita wrote in Hindi on Twitter.
Babita’s elder sister, India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning woman wrestler, Geeta Phogat, also wrote on Twitter in Hindi, “It is very sad that Suhani Bhatnagar, who played the childhood role of my younger sister Babita Phogat in the film Dangal, has passed away at such a young age 💔💔 May God give strength to the entire family in this hour of grief.”
Zaira Wasim also expressed her shock and told Bombay Times, “I just read about it and I still cannot get my head around it. I wish this is a rumour I hope this was false. The moment I heard the news I had a flashback of all the great time we spent. She was such a good soul, and we had such great memories. I cannot imagine what her parents must be going through. I pray they find the strength.”
Shocking! ‘Dangal’ famed actress Suhani Bhatnagar dies at 19; fans mourn her demise
Dangal featured Aamir Khan as their father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, who was driven by his dream to make his daughters world-class wrestlers. Sanya Malhotra played grown-up Babita, Fatima Sana Shaikh essayed Geeta’s part and Zaira appeared as the young Geeta.
After Aamir Khan Productions condoled the death of Suhani in a statement, Kiran Rao and other celebs including Mukesh Chhabra and Yami Gautam also extended their heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased.
Two months back, she was afflicted by a rare autoimmune condition known as dermatomyositis. Suhani’s hands started swelling mysteriously and then it spread to the rest of the body, but her condition could not be identified by doctors treating her till she was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, some 11 days ago. The condition can only be treated with steroids, but these affected her immune system and weakened her so much that she started finding it impossible to breathe.
