Reality Star and Actress Seriously Injured in Car Crash, May Face Charges for Death of Passenger Friend

Actress Yashika Anand, who rose to fame on the reality TV series Big Boss Tamil, was seriously injured in a car crash that killed her friend, Vallichatti Bhavani, on Saturday night in Mamallapuram, India. Two other people in the car were seriously injured as well. Anand and the two other passengers are expected to survive. The actress could face charges.

The accident happened on East Coast Road in Mahabalipuram, a town in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, at about 1 a.m. Saturday morning reports The Hindustan Times. Anand’s vehicle slammed into a divider, then fell into a nearby pit. Bhavani reportedly died at the scene. The driver was speeding when she lost control and hit the medium, according to witnesses. Onlookers helped Anand and the other passengers out of the car, but they could not rescue Bhavani. The deceased’s body was taken to Chengalpattu hospital for an autopsy.

Anand suffered fractures on her hipbone and right leg reports DTNext. She is being treated at a private hospital in Chennai and is conscious, sources told the outlet. Police sources told the outlet Anand was behind the week at the scene of the accident. A case was also booked under three sections, including causing death by negligence, against Anand.

After the accident, members of the Tamil film community asked for prayers for Ananad. “Friends U all know [Anand], a great looking girl,” actor S. J. Suryah tweeted. “But we know she is [an] awesome performer too… KADAMAIYAI SEI will be the right beginning of her journey as a performer… get well soon Yashika to be where U have to be… prayers.” Actor Vijay Antony added, “You shall recover soon [Yashika]. Our prayers are with you.”

Anand was an Instagram model before she began acting in 2015, notes Heavy. In 2018, she starred in Big Boss Tamil, a reality TV series similar to Big Brother. She also starred in the movies Paadam, Maniyar Kudumbam, Nota, Zombie, Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, and Siruthai Siva. She has several movies in the works, according to her IMDb page. She recently finished filming the Tamil movie Ivan Than Uthaman.

During the #MeToo movement, Anand told reporters she had her own “casting couch” experience with a director during an audition, reports The Times of India. She claimed the director told her and her mother that she needed to “engage in a sexual favor” in order to get a role. They turned the offer down. Anand did not name the director and said she did not file a complaint at the time because the man did not physically harass her. At the time, Anand called on the government to make the Indian film industry a safer place for women, adding that aspiring actresses are often sexually harassed.