MUMBAI, October 21 — Actor and content creator Divya Vinekar, who appeared as a female police constable in the Alia Bhatt-starrer Darlings, has passed away. The news was made public on Tuesday, October 20, by her friend and colleague, radio jockey Rohini Ramnathan, who described the death as sudden and unexpected in an emotional Instagram post and appealed for privacy for the bereaved family.
Ramnathan, a well-known voice on Fever FM and a long-time colleague of Vinekar, said the family and those whose lives Vinekar had touched were coming to terms with the loss, and asked that enquiries be avoided for the moment so the family could grieve in peace. She also shared details of the farewell for those who wished to pay their last respects — a gathering at 10 in the morning at the Shivaji Park Hindu Crematorium in Mumbai.
In her tribute, Ramnathan remembered Vinekar — fondly called DV by those close to her — as a pillar to her personally and professionally. She credited Vinekar's work ethic, her kindness and her knowledge, describing her as one of a kind. She wrote of how blessed they had been to have Vinekar as part of their lives at Fever FM, and said she would be deeply missed.
The post struck a chord with listeners and industry acquaintances, many of whom responded with messages of condolence and shared their own memories of the actor.
The announcement itself unfolded in stages within a single post. Ramnathan opened with the news — that Vinekar had left for her heavenly abode — describing the death as sudden and unexpected. She then turned to the practical: urging those who knew the actor not to make enquiries at that moment, while informing well-wishers of the 10 am farewell at Shivaji Park Hindu Crematorium.
Only then did she give way to grief, recalling Vinekar's work ethic, her kindness and her knowledge, and describing it as a blessing to have had her in their lives.
Vinekar was credited with playing a female constable in Darlings, the 2022 Netflix dark comedy-drama headlined by Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah. Directed by Jasmeet K Reen, the film also featured Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew in pivotal roles. Vinekar's part, though not a lead role, placed her in one of the most talked-about Hindi streaming releases of that year.
The film carried particular significance for its leading star. Darlings marked Alia Bhatt's debut as a producer — she co-produced it with Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma under the banners of Eternal Sunshine Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment.
Released on Netflix on August 5, 2022, the film followed Alia's character, a young housewife who endures domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, played by Varma, until she turns the tables in a darkly comic and bloody quest for revenge. Shefali Shah played the character's mother, while Mathew essayed a sympathetic neighbour.
The film drew largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with praise for its performances, its tonal control and its handling of a difficult subject. It has endured as one of the defining streaming titles of its year and a milestone in Bhatt's career.
Vinekar's screen credits also included Jalsa, the 2022 thriller starring Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah, directed by Suresh Triveni — his second collaboration with Balan after the 2017 comedy Tumhari Sulu. The film centred on a hit-and-run incident involving an 18-year-old girl that draws in a celebrated journalist, a grieving mother and a police officer, raising questions about truth, privilege and accountability.
Produced by T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment and filmed in Mumbai, it premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 18, 2022, and drew positive reviews, particularly for the performances of Balan and Shah. Vinekar featured in its ensemble, further establishing her presence in Hindi cinema's independent and streaming-driven space.
Beyond the screen, Vinekar worked across films, radio and digital content. She was a digital content creator, a freelance content writer and a poet, moving between mediums with evident ease. Her path into the performing arts was not a conventional one: she entered mainstream creative work in 2018 after spending nearly a decade working in digital marketing.
The career switch spoke to a creative restlessness and a willingness to start over in pursuit of storytelling — a trajectory that many in the industry have noted with admiration.
At Fever FM, where she worked alongside Ramnathan, Vinekar was regarded as a steadying presence — someone whose knowledge, professionalism and warmth left an impression on colleagues and listeners alike. The radio station, one of Mumbai's prominent FM broadcasters, has long been a launchpad and home for voices that straddle radio, stage and screen, and Vinekar's career embodied that crossover.
That both Darlings and Jalsa released in 2022 speaks to a pivotal moment in Hindi cinema. Streaming platforms had become the primary home for mid-scale, performance-driven films, and both titles — one on Netflix, the other on Amazon Prime Video — were among the year's most discussed releases. For Vinekar, appearing in the ensembles of two such films in a single year marked her arrival as a working actor in an industry increasingly open to fresh faces across mediums.
Her sudden death has left friends, colleagues and fans mourning. Ramnathan's post drew an outpouring of grief from those who had worked with Vinekar or followed her work, with many remembering her warmth, her professionalism and the impact she had on the people around her. For the city's tight-knit radio and digital-creator communities, the loss has been felt personally.
News agency reports have put her age at 40. The cause of Vinekar's death, however, has not been confirmed. Media reports have noted that further details surrounding her demise have not been independently verified, and more information is awaited. Ramnathan's message focused on informing those who knew the actor while asking that her loved ones be given time and space to grieve.
The farewell, according to Ramnathan's post, will allow colleagues, friends and admirers to bid adieu to an artiste whose career, though cut short, spanned cinema, radio, digital content and the written word. As the industry absorbs the news, further updates from the family are awaited.
(Reporting based on The Times of India, Hindustan Times and India TV News.)