Anil Kapoor would touch Sridevi’s feet every time they met, reveals the versatile actor
Anil Kapoor, speaking during the shoot of an episode of Star Plus’ Dance Plus 4, spoke evocatively about late actor Sridevi. The two starred in a number of hit films in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Sridevi’s shocking death left an entire nation and millions of her fans bereaving world over. Every reference to the late actor, sees a range of emotions. In the past one year, her family members — daughter Janhvi Kapoor, husband Boney Kapoor and step-son Arjun Kapoor — have all spoken evocatively about her. Now, her brother-in-law and co-star in many hit films Anil Kapoor has spoken about the later actor.
Anil recently shot for an episode on Star Plus’ Dance Plus 4 called Sridevi Tribute. Speaking about Sridevi, Anil mentioned how every time he would meet her, he would always touch her feet. He did so out of respect for her as an artist irrespective of the place and occasion, a fact that embarrassed the late actor immensely and would feel awkward and would always ask him not to do so.
An article in Spotboye, quoting Anil, said how he would sit and watch her perform a scene even when he was not in the said scene only because she would enact each and every scene beautifully.
Recalling Sridevi, Anil was quoted as saying: “As an artist I feel blessed to have worked with Sridevi ji and she had a huge contribution to my career. She was an actor with immeasurable talent who could fill the screen with her magic. We shouldn’t remember her with sadness and rather celebrate her brilliance as a performer with love, affection and joy.”
Sridevi’s untimely death on February 24 this year at a Dubai hotel shocked the world. The late actor had been to Dubai to attend the wedding of Boney’s nephew, actor Mohit Marwah. While the rest of the family had flown back to Mumbai, Sridevi chose to stay back for some shopping. On the fateful day, her husband Boney arrived from India and together that night they were to go for dinner. She was staying at Dubai’s Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. She reportedly went to the washroom to get ready for the dinner but 15 minutes passed and she did not come out. Boney knocked on the door to check on her. When he got no response, he forced open the door to find the legendary actor lying motionless in the bathtub full of water.
In the aftermath of tragedy that hit their family, Janhvi had written a heartbreaking post on her mother, saying “there’s gnawing hollowness in my chest that I know I have to learn to live with”.
Speaking the International Film Festival of India in November, Janhvi has said how 2018 had both worst and best experiences of her life. “It’s harder to say anything... When I say ‘growth’, I mean personal growth, I don’t know about artistic. This year brought me both the worst and the best experience of my life. It’s a little strange... Our family is now united, so that is very big thing for me.”
But whatever happened that too was very heavy (tragedy). We are still in shock, so we haven’t been able to process it properly. I’m really thankful for all the love that we have received and I got a chance to work, which is a big thing for me. I got a chance to make my parents proud, which is most important for me.”
Talking about life after the actor’s death, Boney had said, “Today this vacuum, this void cannot be replaced but the good wishes and the goodwill that she has left behind is something that we can live with... She is with me, in my memories...with my children. I feel the loss of her every second of my life, not just me even my children do. This is something that we have to live with. Unfortunately, she was snatched away from us sooner than anybody expected.”