‘Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’ actor Vaibhavi dies in road accident

Actor Vaibhavi Upadhyaya, best known for TV series “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2”, has died in a road accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, police said.

Upadhyaya died on Monday after her SUV fell into a gorge near Sidhwan in the Banjar area of Kullu. The accident occurred when the driver of the car was negotiating a steep curve.

“Vaibhavi tried to get out of the vehicle through the window and sustained a head injury which proved fatal. She was rushed to Banjar Civil Hospital where the doctors declared her dead,” SP Kullu Sakshi Verma told PTI.

The body of the deceased was handed over to her brother Ankit after postmortem. Her family stays in Chandigarh.

The driver of the car survived the crash with minor injuries.

A case of rash and negligent driving endangering life has been registered and investigations are underway, police said.

The last rites of the actor, who was in her 30s, were performed at a crematorium

in suburban Borivali in Mumbai on Wednesday at around 1 pm.

“Apart from Vaibhavi’s family members, including her parents, brother, sister and her fiance, friends from the industry were also present,” “Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai” producer J D Majethia said.

On “Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai”, Upadhyaya starred as Jasmine Mawani, the love interest of Rosesh, played by Rajesh Kumar.

Her fiery character would often crack up viewers with her foot-in-the-mouth literal Gujarati to English translations.

Upadhyaya’s Jasmine was also popular for the Gujarati catchphrase “Khot nat kehti” (I don’t lie) and for standing up to family matriarch, the elite Maya Sarabhai (Ratna Pathak Shah).

“Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai” cast members also paid tributes to the late actor on social media.

Satish Shah, who played the Sarabhai family patriarch Indravadan, remembered Upadhyaya as “a fine actor and a colleague”.