"Nostalgia is a street" that Pooja Bhatt doesn't frequent but after attending her dear friend and producer Ryan Stephen's memorial service, the actress revisited a memory from 1998. Ryan Stephen died of COVID-19 on May 29 in Goa. Remembering the producer, Pooja Bhatt shared a throwback photo of herself having a hearty laugh with Ryan from December 22, 1998. "22-12-98 as the picture states. Copacabana and Ghetto nights... Blue bubble room days! Joy, laughter and some heartbreak. But what ran through it all like a seamless ribbon, was the feeling of wonder and innocence!" wrote Pooja.
She added: "Feeling heady from the memorial so thoughtfully put together this evening. And even though Nostalgia is a street I don't frequent, today was special, hence demanded a revisit!"
The actress also thanked everyone who made it to Ryan Stephen's memorial service: "Love and hugs to everyone who was present! You know who you are!" See Pooja Bhatt's old picture with her close friend Ryan here:
The day Ryan Stephen died, Pooja Bhatt mourned him on social media with an emotional note. In a lengthy note, she wrote: "A dawn I will never forget. A candle I will keep forever lit, both inside and outside myself. As a friend, in the wee hours of the morning, decided to call it a night. I can't get myself to say Adieu. I can't get myself to type goodbye. He has merely changed rooms, towns, worlds. For which I will eventually discard my earthly preoccupations, don my wings and journey towards, so we can have our great reunion in the sky."
Another excerpt from her eulogy read: "You made it to the moon Ryan... but unlike our favourite song, this time you ain't coming back. So, gather some moon-dust, lay out the table, settle into a crater on some silken cushions... and when the nights darken like they indeed will, we will use the light you send our way to illuminate our path & navigate life with our hearts."
Ryan Stephen was the co-founder of production house Electric Apples Entertainment. He started his career in the entertainment industry as a club reporter with a film magazine and went on to work with publications such as Showtime and Stardust and even as a film consultant. He also worked as a PR representative for movies like Jism, Paap, Rog and LOC.