Share This Article
Mumbai ka temperature uss din baaki sab dino se kuch zyada tha, ya shayad film shoot ki garmi thi. Sanket Studios mein chal raha tha Versova Film Private ka ambitious thriller ‘Khoon Ki Kahaani’. Director Aarti Baweja perfectionist thi, aur lead actor Rehaan Sardesai ka comeback film tha — pressure high tha.
Scene #47 shoot hone jaa raha tha. Setup: heroine Zara Singhania ka character, Anika, villain Ranjay (Rehaan Sardesai) ko expose karti hai. Scene climax pe khatam hota hai — Zara Ranjay ko thappad maar ke chali jaati hai, aur Ranjay glass table todkar gir padta hai. Simple. Well-rehearsed. Sab kuch controlled.
Magar action ke baad reality blur ho gayi.
“CUT!” Aarti ne bola, par koi hila nahi. Rehaan vaastav mein table se takraake chupp ho gaya tha. Ek assistant dauda, par jab camera band hua, tabhi scream ayi — blood. Kaafi asli lag raha tha. Asli tha.
Rehaan Sardesai, scene ke dauraan, table ka glass todte waqt, ek chhupa hua metal rod se gale mein chot kha gaya tha. Wahi uski maut ka kaaran bana. Sab hairaan ho gaye. Ye toh stunt scene bhi nahi tha. Prop master Shibu shak mein tha — “Madam, maine sab check kiya tha. Woh glass breakaway tha!”
Film shoot ruka. Police ayi. Lekin Aarti insist kar rahi thi — “Accident hai.” Par inspector Niraj Sahai—jo normal CID type thanedaar nahi tha, par ek former art house actor jo police join kar chuka tha—use kuch odd laga.
“Camera toh chal raha tha…” Niraj ne CCTV aur behind-the-scenes footage mangwayi. Lekin uss take ke pehle koi 4-minute ka blackout tha. Lighting team bola ki accidental circuit trip tha. Coincidence?
Film ke cast aur crew interrogate hue:
Zara—jo Rehaan ke opposite kaam kar rahi thi—nervous thi. Kaha ja raha tha ki dono ke beech affair tha, jo recently breakup mein badal gaya. Aarti director bhi Rehaan ke saath purane doston mein thi—aur kuch tabloids mein unki dating ki afwaayein thi.
Lekin kaam karne waale spot boy Rajbir ne Niraj ko subtly hint diya — “Sir, shoot mein koi attention nahi de raha tha ek side ke props trolley pe. Light off hone se pehle, kisi ek bande ne table ke neeche kuch chhupaya tha.”
Footage mein us segment ka angle missing tha. Lekin ek mirror tha frame mein — blurred reflection ne dikhaya ki ek person ne kuch slip kiya tha table ke neeche. Photoshop enhance kar ke image nikala gaya — banda tha Sumedh Kale. DOP Ka intern assistant. Silent, unnoticed. Lekin Niraj ne usse akele mein bulaya.
Sumedh ne confess nahi kiya, lekin ek shocking cheez boli — “Scene script mein change hua tha last night. Table break ka detail add hua tha. Revised script mujhe mila SMS ke thru — Director ke number se.”
Aarti shocked thi — “Maine koi script update nahi bheja.” Phone records ne confirm kiya ki SMS Aarti ke number se gaya tha par device unke paas nahi tha us waqt. Investigation ne bataya ki Zara ek din pehle Aarti ka phone briefly use kar rahi thi jab network koi issue tha.
Niraj ne Zara ko face karaya.
Pehle deny kiya. Lekin phir woh chhup nahi paayi.
Zara ne bataya — Rehaan ne uska MMS leak karne ka dhamka diya tha jab unka breakup hua. Usne apne career ke liye kuch bhi karne ka bold decision le liya. Script mein scene firse likhwaya, stunt jaisa, par koi stuntman nahi. Sumedh schedule control karta tha, usse cajole kiya ki wo table mein ek folded, rusted steel rod fix karde ‘for real impact’. Aur blackout ka plan lighting crew ke Purab ke saath — Zara ne flirt kar ke convince kiya tha.
Irony? Zara chahti thi ki Rehaan ko thoda hurt ho, scare karna chahti thi — maarne ka plan nahi tha. Lekin rod ne artery cut kar diya. Rehaan ne react bhi nahi kar paaya. Live scene mein. Scripted death turned real.
Niraj silent tha. “Reel aur real mein fark kam hota ja raha hai… jab motive performance ban jaaye.”
Zara ko arrest kiya gaya — for criminal conspiracy and homicide. Film shelved ho gayi. Aarti ne directorship chhod di.
Lekin ek naya web trailer leak hua: “Khoon Ki Kahaani — Real Life Murder Scene. Watch Now.”
Clickbait headline. Viral ho gaya. Sabne dekha. Sabne judge kiya.
Aur kahaani ka ek aur victim bana: sach.
