Tollywood and Bollywood celebrities share special and heart-touching anecdotes and memories of Superstar Sridevi, who passed away on Saturday night. The verdict is out. She remains an ever shining star in the movie firmament
She used to play with me on the sets.... Sridevi always dreamt of a debut in Bollywood and rule the country... When I had to pull her hair and drag her as part of a scenein Mom, she made it easy for me and told me to go ahead and do it without hesitation.. .I used to visit her whenever I was in Mumbai and she used to visit us when in Hyderabad... film celebs recount tales that brought out new and unexplored facets of the actress who left the world
Chandra Mohan (Actor)
My eldest daughter is four-years-older to Sridevi and they were good friends. We used to stay in the same neighbourhood (T Nagar, Chennai) and she would often come to our house to play with my daughter. She acted with me as a child artiste in six films including Yashoda Krishna. She used to play with me on the sets. She was labelled as an iron leg but we went ahead and roped her in Padaharella Vayasu to reprise Mayil – the role she played in 16 Vayathinile. I was always termed the lucky star for new heroines and that notion gained prominence after Sridevi became a successful actress.
Abhimanyu Singh (Actor)
I’ve worked with her in Mom, and it was one of the memorable experiences I treasure for my life. She had no starry airs and always remained cool and grounded. We had a great time shooting in Georgia for 15 days. A particular scene in that film required me to pull her hair. Given her stature and age, I wasn’t sure how I would go about it. However, Sridevi talked her way out of this one and asserted that the scene is crucial to the plot. To get it right, she asked me to pull her, even if it caused some pain to her. So, I had no option but to shoot for it. I met her in January and those memories are still fresh in my mind.
C Ashwini Dutt (Producer)
I’ve produced six films with her under Vyjayanthi Movies and I can’t imagine my banner without her. As a producer, her films like Akhari Poratam and Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (JVAS) proved lucky to me, and people enjoy watching them even today. After Savitri, she was the only actress I admire a lot and she is a Mahanati (legend). I recall her saying about Jhanvi’s foray into cinema and we always discussed making a sequel to JVAS featuring her older daughter Jhanvi and Ram Charan in the lead. I always shared a great bond with her, and we used to speak regularly over the phone. On my every trip to Mumbai, I used to go and see her and similarly, she used to come, meet us during her visits to Hyderabad.
A Kodandarami Reddy (Director)
Sridevi always wanted me to debut in Bollywood, but I couldn’t make it there due to my hectic commitments in Telugu. I have directed her in films – Ramarajyamlo Bheemaraju, Sri Ranga Neethulu, etc. She came forward to act and produce a film named Vajrala Donga under my direction starring Chiranjeevi in 1987. The response to our film’s announcement was beyond expectations. Unable to handle the pressure, I asked her to shelve the project and she obliged. When in Mumbai, she used to get me South Indian food thing. We had such a good time.