Simi Garewal, who rarely engages on social media, made an exception on Thursday morning to express her deep sorrow over the passing of veteran industrialist Ratan Tata, who died in Mumbai on Wednesday night. Many Bollywood personalities paid tribute, but Simi's message stood out due to its heartfelt and personal nature. Few are aware that Simi and Ratan Tata once shared a romantic relationship, and even after parting ways, they remained close friends.
On Thursday morning, Simi took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a collage of photos featuring Ratan Tata and herself from his appearance on her talk show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal. In her emotional tribute, she wrote, "They say you have gone. It's too hard to bear your loss..too hard.. Farewell my friend.. #RatanTata."
In a 2011 interview with Times of India, Simi had reflected on her connection with Ratan Tata, revealing that they dated briefly during her active years in Bollywood. She spoke highly of him, describing him as a man of perfection, humor, and modesty, who was never driven by wealth. She noted that he was more at ease abroad than in India. Several Bollywood stars, including Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, and Varun Dhawan, shared tributes to the iconic industrialist, as did southern stars Kamal Haasan, Jr NTR, and Rana Daggubati.
Ratan Tata, with over 13 million followers on X and nearly 10 million on Instagram, was recognized as the "most followed entrepreneur" in India according to the 360 ONE Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2023. Simi Garewal, celebrated for her roles in films such as Do Badan (1966), Saathi (1968), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Siddhartha (1972), Karz (1980), and the Punjabi film Udeekaan, also gained widespread recognition for her talk show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal. She had also acted in the Bengali film Aranyer Din Ratri directed by Satyajit Ray.