Nimki
Mukhiya
Producer
Zama
Habib
The
Nimki
Mukhiya
producer
Zama
Habib
revealed
that
Rita
was
not
shooting
since
the
last
20
days
because
of
health
issues.
He
added,
"She
requested
that
we
replace
her
but
I
refused
to
comply.
I
didn't
know
she
would
never
come
back."
Poonam
Dhillon
Poonam
Dhillon,
who
acted
with
Rita
on
the
show,
Ekk
Nayi
Pehchaan,
recalled
as
to
how
Rita
was
unwell,
but
no
one
was
aware
of
it
until
she
fainted!
She
was
quoted
by
Mumbai
Mirror
as
saying,
"Later,
she
admitted
she
didn't
tell
anyone
as
she
didn't
want
to
disrupt
the
shoot."
Juhi
Parmar
Rita
was
part
of
Kumkum
which
had
Juhi
Parmar
in
the
lead
role.
The
actress
said,
"She
was
such
a
zindadil,
strong
woman
who
brought
food
for
me
to
take
home
for
months
when
I
didn't
have
a
cook.
Spending
time
with
her
at
her
Lonavla
home
was
one
of
my
best
New
Year's
Eve
memories
for
me."
Sarabhai
Vs
Sarabhai
Director
&
Writer
In
Sarabhai
Vs
Sarabhai
Rita
had
played
the
role
of
Ila
bua.
The
director
of
the
show
praised
Rita,
"She
was
fluent
in
various
languages,
disciplined
and
a
zerotantrum
actress" while
the
show's
writer
and
co-director,
Aatish
Kapadia
said,
"When
we
offered
her
Sarabhai
v/s
Sarabhai,
she
came
on
board
without
enquiring
about
the
role."
Actor
JD
Majethia
said,
"She
was
the
superstar
of
several
Gujarati
hits
yet
one
of
the
easiest
people
to
work
with
and
a
top
choices
in
her
age
group
for
all
production
houses."
Chhoti
Bahu
Actress
Rubina
Dilaik
Rubina
Dilaik
was
saddened
as
she
couldn't
meet
the
actress
before
she
passed
away.
The
actress
said,
"We
were
planning
to
but
couldn't
due
to
our
schedule."
Sadiya
Siddiqui
&
Kabir
Sadanand
Sadiya
Siddiqui
said,
"Her
niece
and
I
learnt
kathak
from
the
same
guru,
so
I'm
close
to
her
family
and
was
very
possessive
of
her."
Kabir
Sadanand,
who
met
Rita
during
auditioning
for
the
show
Thoda
Hai
Thode
Ki
Zarurat
Hai,
said,
"Despite
years
of
theatre
experience,
I
was
scared.
I
reported
at
work
at
7
am
with
an
empty-stomach.
She
cooked
eggs
and
offered
them
to
me.
When
I
politely
refused,
she
said
she
was
nervous
on
her
first
day
too
and
I
should
toughen
up."
Bollywood
Actors
Recalled
Rita
Fondly:
Anil
Kapoor
Says…
Even
Bollywood
celebrities
recalled
stories
of
her
talent,
kindness
and
rare
professionalism.
Anil
Kapoor,
who
worked
with
Rita,
described
the
late
actress
as
‘one
of
the
finest
talents
to
come
out
of
Film
and
Television
Institute
of
India
(FTII)'.
Rita’s
FTII
Batchmate
Shabana
Azmi
Shabana
Azmi,
who
was
Rita's
1973
FTII
batchmate,
was
in
touch
with
the
late
actress
through
their
WhatsApp
Group
chats.
She
told
Mumbai
Mirror,
"Rita
had
injured
her
spine
during
a
shoot
a
month
ago
and
subsequently
contracted
an
infection
for
which
she
had
to
undergo
surgery."
Rita
Was
Called
Tanuja
By
Her
Friends
Shabana
further
added,
"Rita
was
in
excruciating
pain
as
she
couldn't
be
administered
strong
painkillers
due
to
ongoing
dialysis."
She
further
revealed
that
her
friends
called
Rita,
Tanuja
because
of
her
effervescence.
‘There
Was
Something
Cute
And
Impish
About
Her’
The
actress
said,
"There
was
something
cute
and
impish
about
her.
She
was
a
good
student
and
had
the
prettiest
face
in
the
class.
She
was
extremely
photogenic,
but
I
felt
that
she
didn't
take
her
talent
seriously."
‘Rita
Was
Content
With
What
She
Had.’
"As
a
student,
she
was
happy
to
be
one
of
the
yaars,
chewing
Paan
Bahar
and
not
caring
about
appearances.
Her
mother
Chandrima
Bhaduri,
a
veteran
actress,
was
ambitious
for
her
but
Rita
was
content
with
what
she
had."
Post
Rita's
death,
Shabana
had
tweeted,
"Rehne
ko
sada
dehr
mein
aata
nahi
koi/
tum
jaise
gaye
aise
bhi
jaata
nahi
koi
#Rita
Bhaduri."
-
(sic)
Gulshan
Grover
Gulshan
Grover
told
the
leading
daily,
"She
touched
my
heart
with
one
of
her
improvisations
in
class,
playing
a
Gujarati
girl
who
would
stop
at
a
Malabari
shop
every
day
for
bread
and
eggs.
Salim
Ghouse
played
the
Malabari
man
and
their
romance
was
beautiful
and
tender,
so
unlike
the
usual
hero-heroine
love
story."
Sanjay
Kapoor,
Indra
Kumar
&
Suchitra
Krishnamoorthy
Sanjay
Kapoor,
who
shared
screen
space
with
Rita
in
his
debut
film,
Raja
said,
"The
scene
where
her
character
has
an
outburst
and
she
yells
at
her
husband,
‘Kaat
Mahindra
Pratap
kaat'...
still
gives
me
goosebumps."
Indra
Kumar,
who
directed
her
in
Beta
and
Raja,
called
her
a
‘remarkable
actor
and
a
great
human
being',
while
Kabhi
Haan
Kabhi
Naa
co-star
Suchitra
Krishnamoorthy
described
the
late
actress
a
‘
fine
actor
and
a
kind
soul'.