Latest news with #Reema
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Mahesh Bhatt fondly remembers Reema Lagoo 8 years after her sudden demise
Reema Lagoo , known for the warmth she radiated on screen and the emotional depth she brought to her roles, left the film industry in mourning when she suddenly passed away on May 18, 2017. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt — who collaborated with her across film and television — in a candid chat with ETimes, recalls the moment he heard the news of her demise and the stillness that followed. Fondly remembering the many creative moments together, Bhatt honoured her memory, her artistry, and the profound legacy she left behind. We lost Reema Lagoo — someone you collaborated with so often — far too soon, didn't we? Mahesh Bhatt: Even now, eight years after her sudden passing, I see her luminous eyes, her unspoken warmth, the stillness from which her performances flowed. Some presences don't vanish. They settle into the heart. What was your reaction to her sudden demise? Bhatt: Eight years ago, on an ordinary morning, my phone rang. It was Gurudev Bhalla , my protégé, producer of Naamkaran. 'Sir,' he said gently, 'Reema Lagoo is gone. She passed this morning. The shoot is cancelled. May I come pick you up?' His words froze the day. As sudden as death—everything changed. Moments later, I stood beside her. Still. Silent. The warmth gone. She was 58. And just like that, memory took over. What were some of your memories of working with this charming actress? Bhatt: I was back on the set of Aashiqui, day one. Reema was playing a single mother —quiet, dignified, wounded. The scene where she asks her son to return her mangalsutra— a silent declaration that the marriage is over, became the soul of the film. Another moment that lingers was her advice to Anu(Aggarwal), the young lead, not to give up her career just to soothe a man's insecurity. Reema played that scene with rare conviction, quietly challenging the old scripts that demanded women surrender their dreams. She didn't just perform it—she lived it. Thereafter, you went on to work with her on several projects Bhatt: We worked again in 'Gumrah', with Sridevi, where she played a mother revealing a long-buried truth as she approached death. And later in Naajayaz, as a woman torn between her son—a cop—and her lover, an underworld don. Reema's performances never shouted; they ached, they endured, they spoke with stillness. Then came 'Naamkaran', the television adaptation of your film 'Zakham'? Bhatt: When we were casting the matriarch, I said, 'Only Reema Lagoo.'. She had stepped away from screen work, was doing theatre, but agreed to meet. After hearing the part, she smiled and said, 'Will you direct the first episode, just to set the tone?' I said, 'Yes, Reema ji. I will.' That day, I returned to the set—and watched her breathe life into that world. She uplifted everyone. Her grace, her precision, her emotional depth turned every line into something more. Her death must have shaken you. Bhatt: That breath was gone. We stood around her, stunned. It felt as though time had paused, the sun extinguished at high noon. But she lives on—in memory, in every frame she graced, in the quiet strength she brought to her roles. Thank you, Reema ji—for the truth you embodied, and the light you left behind. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
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First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
‘Wedding bomb', professional rivalry: How English professor's ‘revenge' that killed 2 in Odisha ended in life term for him
An Odisha court has sentenced a former English professor to life imprisonment for sending a parcel bomb, disguised as a 'wedding gift', that killed a newly married 26-year-old software engineer and his great aunt in 2018, while severely injuring his wife. The case shocked Odisha, and for weeks, there were no leads. Then, an anonymous letter became a turning point, leading to the arrest of Punjilal Meher, who attended both the wedding and the funeral of the victim read more A court in Odisha has sentenced a former English professor to life imprisonment for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newlywed man and his great aunt in 2018. Punjilal Meher, 56, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and use of explosives. The 2018 case had shaken Odisha and the rest of India. Here we will look at the tale of 'revenge' that took the lives of two people and how the police finally cracked the 'wedding bomb' case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Wedding bomb' kills two On February 23, 2018, Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, and his 22-year-old wife, Reema, were in the kitchen at their family home in Patnagarh, Odisha. It was five days after their wedding when a deliveryman gave Soumya a parcel addressed to him. As per BBC, a sticker on the parcel said it was sent by one SK Sharma from Raipur, Chhattisgarh. 'This looks like a wedding gift,' Soumya is reported to have told his wife. 'The only thing that I don't know is the sender. I don't know anyone in Raipur.' As Soumya opened the parcel, there was a flash of light and a huge explosion shook the kitchen. The blast killed him and his 85-year-old great-aunt Jemamani Sahu, both of whom had suffered 90 per cent burns. Reema survived but had serious burns and a punctured eardrum. Odisha police cracks the case The Odisha police solved the 'wedding bomb' case after two months. However, weeks after the crime, there were no clear suspects. They questioned more than 100 people, mostly friends and relatives of the couple, but did not get any leads. The investigators said it was a meticulously planned and executed crime. After the police's initial investigation, the case was later taken over by the Odisha Crime Branch. Speaking to BBC in March 2018, Reema said that her husband, Soumya, had received a mysterious call when he was in Bengaluru. 'The call came last year. We were talking on the phone, and he said there was a call coming in. And I vaguely remember he put me on hold, and later told me, 'I got a threatening call. A man on the line told me not to marry.'' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Soumya did not mention any other such calls, and the couple went ahead with the marriage. The police scoured phone records and even interrogated the man who had made the threatening call to Soumya, but there was still no headway. Then, an anonymous letter by the convict in April helped the Odisha Crime Branch, led by senior IPS officer Arun Bothra, crack the case. The tale of English professor's 'revenge' The letter, sent to the then Bolangir Superintendent of Police, said that the bomb was sent under the name 'SK Sinha,' not Sharma. It also claimed that three people were involved in the 'project' – the explosion – and mentioned the motive as 'his (Soumya's) betrayal' that led to many people losing their lives and money. It also asked the police to 'stop harassing innocent people'. The letter, which allegedly tried to derail the police investigation, turned the probe. Arun Bothra, the then-IG and Additional DG-ranked officer, noticed that the handwriting on the parcel's sticker was misread: it appeared like 'Sinha' more than 'Sharma.' This is something that only the sender of the letter could have known. The police believed now that the suspect had sent the letter himself, as per BBC. 'It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made,' Bothra told BBC in 2018. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per Indian Express, the senior IPS officer said the letter was meant to'deceive' the investigation agency, but the accused had left 'many clues in the letter'. 'The language, the font size and the spacing in the letter indicated that it was sent by someone with command over English. It led us to zero in on the accused, who was an English lecturer. When we searched his house, we got some evidence, which was scientifically matched. That was the turning point in the case,' Bothra said. Soumya's mother and college teacher, Sanjukta Sahu, recognised the writing style and phraseology in the letter, linking it to her colleague, Punjilal Meher, as reported by BBC. The police then questioned Meher, who initially claimed that he was forced to deliver the letter under threat. However, he later confessed. Meher, an English lecturer, planned the crime after Sanjukta replaced him as the principal of Jyoti Vikas College in Bhainsa. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He began hoarding firecrackers during Diwali, extracted gunpowder from them and used the internet to learn how to assemble bombs. The bomb he made was put in a cardboard box and gift-wrapped. Days before the blast, Meher went to college and came back home to collect the parcel, as per I_ndian Express._ He went to Kantabanji with the parcel and then took a train to Chhattisgarh's Raipur, around 250 km from Patnagarh town. He did not buy a train ticket to avoid detection. In Raipur, Meher searched for courier services that operated from basements and had no CCTVs. He told the services that the parcel had 'gift articles'. Police sources told the newspaper that he gave the fake name – SK Sinha – as the sender's and a wrong address. Meher returned home on an evening train. The bomb travelled more than 650 km by bus, exchanging multiple hands before the delivery to the victim. As per investigators, it was a crude but deadly device wrapped in jute thread, which was meant to detonate on opening the parcel, reported BBC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 'wedding gift' reached Patnagarh on February 20 and Soumya received it three days later. Meher, who had also left his phone at home to create an alibi, had attended both the victim's wedding and funeral. In August 2018, the Crime Branch's chargesheet mentioned statements of 72 witnesses. Its evidence included the letter and receipt books of the parking lot at Kantabanji railway station. ALSO READ: Baba Siddique murder: How the killing was planned in Patiala jail and executed in Mumbai Sahu family gets justice Over seven years after losing her son, Sanjukta Sahu has got justice. A Sessions Court in Odisha's Bolangir district on Wednesday (May 28) convicted Meher to life imprisonment. The lone accused in the 2018 Patnagarh parcel bomb case was sentenced after days of a marathon hearing, which included the examination of 62 witnesses, reported LiveLaw. While the prosecution had demanded the death penalty for Meher for the 'heinous' crime, the court did not classify it as a ' rarest of the rare ' case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. Sanjukta Sahu expressed satisfaction with the court ruling. However, she pointed out that she could not get back what she lost. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We were hoping for capital punishment in the crime considering its rarest of the rare nature. But the court sentenced life imprisonment. We express our gratitude to the court,' Rabindra Sahu, the victim's father, reportedly said outside the court. With inputs from agencies
Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
'Wedding bomb' murderer gets life sentence in India
NEW DELHI — A former college principal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has been sentenced to life in prison for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newlywed man and his great aunt in 2018. A court found Punjilal Meher, 56, guilty of murder, attempted murder, and use of explosives in what became known as the "wedding bomb" case that stunned India. The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was delivered to the home of Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, just days after his wedding. When the couple opened the package, it exploded - killing Sahu and his great aunt, and leaving his wife, Reema, who opened the package, critically wounded. While acknowledging the prosecution's argument that it was a "heinous" crime, the court declined to classify it as a "rarest of the rare" case deserving the death penalty. The BBC covered the incident in a detailed two-part investigative series. The February 2018 explosion took place in Patnagarh, a quiet town in Odisha's Bolangir district. The victims had been married just five days and were preparing lunch when a parcel arrived at their home. It was addressed to Soumya and appeared to be a wedding gift, allegedly sent from Raipur in Chattisgarh state, over 230km (142 miles) away. As Soumya pulled a thread on the parcel to open it, a powerful blast tore through the kitchen, killing him and his 85-year-old great-aunt Jemamani Sahu. Reema, then 22, survived with serious burns, a punctured eardrum, and trauma. After a prolonged investigation, police arrested Meher, then 49, a teacher and former principal of a local college where Soumya's mother worked. Investigators had told me then that Meher harboured a grudge over professional rivalry and meticulously planned the attack. He used a false name and address to mail the bomb from Raipur, choosing a courier service without CCTV or parcel scanning. The bomb traveled over 650km by bus, passing through multiple hands before being delivered. Investigators said it was a crude but deadly device wrapped in jute thread, rigged to detonate on opening. The parcel carrying the explosive bore a fake name - SK Sharma from Raipur. Weeks passed with no clear suspects. Investigators scoured thousands of phone records and interrogated over 100 people, including one man who had made a threatening call after Reema's engagement - but nothing stuck. Then, in April, an anonymous letter reached the local police chief. It claimed the bomb had been sent under the name "SK Sinha," not Sharma, and cryptically mentioned motives of "betrayal" and money. The letter claimed three men had "undertaken the project" and were now "beyond police reach". It cited the groom's "betrayal" and money - hinting at a scorned lover or property dispute - as motives. It also asked police to stop harassing innocents. The letter turned the investigation. Arun Bothra, a police officer who then headed Odisha's crime branch, noticed that the handwriting on the parcel's receipt had been misread: it did resemble "Sinha" more than "Sharma." Crucially, the letter writer seemed to know this - something only the sender could have known. The police now believed the suspect had sent the letter himself. "It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made," Bothra told me in 2018. The victim's mother, a college teacher, recognized the letter's writing style and phraseology as that of a colleague, Meher, a former principal she had replaced. Police had previously dismissed Meher's workplace rivalry as routine academic politics. Now he became the prime suspect. Under questioning, Meher initially offered an implausible story about being forced to deliver the letter under threat. Police allege he later confessed: he had hoarded firecrackers during Diwali, extracted gunpowder, built the bomb, and mailed it from Raipur using a courier. He allegedly left his phone at home to create an alibi and avoided CCTV by not buying a train ticket. Meher had even attended both the victim's wedding and funeral. — BBC
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Wedding bomb' murderer gets life sentence in India
A former college principal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has been sentenced to life in prison for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newlywed man and his great aunt in 2018. A court found Punjilal Meher, 56, guilty of murder, attempted murder, and use of explosives in what became known as the "wedding bomb" case that stunned India. The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was delivered to the home of Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, just days after his wedding. When the couple opened the package, it exploded - killing Sahu and his great aunt, and leaving his wife, Reema, who opened the package, critically wounded. While acknowledging the prosecution's argument that it was a "heinous" crime, the court declined to classify it as a "rarest of the rare" case deserving the death penalty. The BBC covered the incident in a detailed two-part investigative series. Who sent the wedding gift bomb that killed this newlywed? A wedding bomb, a letter and an unlikely suspect The February 2018 explosion took place in Patnagarh, a quiet town in Odisha's Bolangir district. The victims had been married just five days and were preparing lunch when a parcel arrived at their home. It was addressed to Soumya and appeared to be a wedding gift, allegedly sent from Raipur in Chattisgarh state, over 230km (142 miles) away. As Soumya pulled a thread on the parcel to open it, a powerful blast tore through the kitchen, killing him and his 85-year-old great-aunt Jemamani Sahu. Reema, then 22, survived with serious burns, a punctured eardrum, and trauma. After a prolonged investigation, police arrested Meher, then 49, a teacher and former principal of a local college where Soumya's mother worked. Investigators had told me then that Meher harboured a grudge over professional rivalry and meticulously planned the attack. He used a false name and address to mail the bomb from Raipur, choosing a courier service without CCTV or parcel scanning. The bomb travelled over 650km (40 miles) by bus, passing through multiple hands before being delivered. Investigators said it was a crude but deadly device wrapped in jute thread, rigged to detonate on opening. The parcel carrying the explosive bore a fake name - SK Sharma from Raipur. Weeks passed with no clear suspects. Investigators scoured thousands of phone records and interrogated over 100 people, including one man who had made a threatening call after Reema's engagement - but nothing stuck. Then, in April, an anonymous letter reached the local police chief. It claimed the bomb had been sent under the name "SK Sinha," not Sharma, and cryptically mentioned motives of "betrayal" and money. The letter claimed three men had "undertaken the project" and were now "beyond police reach". It cited the groom's "betrayal" and money - hinting at a scorned lover or property dispute - as motives. It also asked police to stop harassing innocents. The letter turned the investigation. Arun Bothra, a police officer who then headed Odisha's crime branch, noticed that the handwriting on the parcel's receipt had been misread: it did resemble "Sinha" more than "Sharma." Crucially, the letter writer seemed to know this - something only the sender could have known. The police now believed the suspect had sent the letter himself. "It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made," Mr Bothra told me in 2018. The victim's mother, a college teacher, recognised the letter's writing style and phraseology as that of a colleague, Meher, a former principal she had replaced. Police had previously dismissed Meher's workplace rivalry as routine academic politics. Now he became the prime suspect. Under questioning, Meher initially offered an implausible story about being forced to deliver the letter under threat. Police allege he later confessed: he had hoarded firecrackers during Diwali, extracted gunpowder, built the bomb, and mailed it from Raipur using a courier. He allegedly left his phone at home to create an alibi and avoided CCTV by not buying a train ticket. Meher had even attended both the victim's wedding and funeral. Additional reporting by Sandeep Sahu in Bhubaneshwar
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Odisha: Indian teacher gets life sentence for deadly 'wedding bomb' murders
A former college principal in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has been sentenced to life in prison for sending a parcel bomb that killed a newlywed man and his great aunt in 2018. A court found Punjilal Meher, 56, guilty of murder, attempted murder, and use of explosives in what became known as the "wedding bomb" case that stunned India. The bomb, disguised as a wedding gift, was delivered to the home of Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a 26-year-old software engineer, just days after his wedding. When the couple opened the package, it exploded - killing Sahu and his great aunt, and leaving his wife, Reema, who opened the package, critically wounded. While acknowledging the prosecution's argument that it was a "heinous" crime, the court declined to classify it as a "rarest of the rare" case deserving the death BBC covered the incident in a detailed two-part investigative sent the wedding gift bomb that killed this newlywed?A wedding bomb, a letter and an unlikely suspectThe February 2018 explosion took place in Patnagarh, a quiet town in Odisha's Bolangir district. The victims had been married just five days and were preparing lunch when a parcel arrived at their home. It was addressed to Soumya and appeared to be a wedding gift, allegedly sent from Raipur in Chattisgarh state, over 230km (142 miles) Soumya pulled a thread on the parcel to open it, a powerful blast tore through the kitchen, killing him and his 85-year-old great-aunt Jemamani Sahu. Reema, then 22, survived with serious burns, a punctured eardrum, and a prolonged investigation, police arrested Meher, then 49, a teacher and former principal of a local college where Soumya's mother worked. Investigators had told me then that Meher harboured a grudge over professional rivalry and meticulously planned the attack. He used a false name and address to mail the bomb from Raipur, choosing a courier service without CCTV or parcel bomb travelled over 650km (40 miles) by bus, passing through multiple hands before being delivered. Investigators said it was a crude but deadly device wrapped in jute thread, rigged to detonate on parcel carrying the explosive bore a fake name - SK Sharma from Raipur. Weeks passed with no clear suspects. Investigators scoured thousands of phone records and interrogated over 100 people, including one man who had made a threatening call after Reema's engagement - but nothing in April, an anonymous letter reached the local police chief. It claimed the bomb had been sent under the name "SK Sinha," not Sharma, and cryptically mentioned motives of "betrayal" and letter claimed three men had "undertaken the project" and were now "beyond police reach". It cited the groom's "betrayal" and money - hinting at a scorned lover or property dispute - as motives. It also asked police to stop harassing innocents. The letter turned the Bothra, a police officer who then headed Odisha's crime branch, noticed that the handwriting on the parcel's receipt had been misread: it did resemble "Sinha" more than "Sharma." Crucially, the letter writer seemed to know this - something only the sender could have known. The police now believed the suspect had sent the letter himself. "It was clear that the sender knew more about the crime than we did. By writing that it was being sent by a messenger, he wanted to tell us that the crime was not the work of a local man. He wanted to tell us that the plot was executed by three people. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he was kind of blowing his fake cover by pointing out a mistake we had made," Mr Bothra told me in 2018. The victim's mother, a college teacher, recognised the letter's writing style and phraseology as that of a colleague, Meher, a former principal she had replaced. Police had previously dismissed Meher's workplace rivalry as routine academic politics. Now he became the prime questioning, Meher initially offered an implausible story about being forced to deliver the letter under threat. Police allege he later confessed: he had hoarded firecrackers during Diwali, extracted gunpowder, built the bomb, and mailed it from Raipur using a allegedly left his phone at home to create an alibi and avoided CCTV by not buying a train ticket. Meher had even attended both the victim's wedding and reporting by Sandeep Sahu in Bhubaneshwar
