Sridevi: I wasn't forced to act by my parents!

Sridevi as a child artist

Almost all child artistes like Daisy and Honey Irani, Naaz, Sarika, etc. recount horror stories about having been forced into earning a living for the parents who lived off them. What about you?

A: Yes, I quite agree. Though I haven’t heard the stories of the people you mentioned, I have seen and heard of many such cases in the South. In my case, I was very lucky to have parents who absolutely doted on me. Actually, my father was totally against the idea of me becoming an actress. But my mother was very ambitious for me. Only because she knew that I had a talent which was exceptional.

I was an extremely quite and withdrawn child. But strangely I had this fascinating passion for dancing. The minute I heard any music anywhere I’d immediately start swaying and start to dance, no matter where we were. There are many instances where I had embarrassed my family thoroughly whilst dining out, when any music was put on in the restaurant. Before they knew it, I was up on the table, dancing away for all I was worth. Since my father was quite a well-to-do lawyer we were very comfortable financially. But my mother was very keen that I join films since I was getting many offers from people who had heard about me. But throughout my time as a child artiste, my parents saw to it that I had a basic education, by employing a private tutor. Moreover, my mother was very strict about me working only in a single shift, my meals, etc. She saw to it that I wasn’t exploited even in the smallest way. Basically, it was a lot of fun for me. I loved all the fancy wigs, costumes, jewellery. And I loved bunking school which I hated, only because I was painfully shy and was scared of sitting in a class with all unknown faces around me. In fact, the fear of crowds is something, which I haven’t shaken off, right till today. I was so attached to my mother, that my world was only complete, when she was near enough to bury my head in her lap. I’d do anything that she told me to, unlike most children who are defiant and disobedient at times.

Talking of child artistes, not all of them were as lucky as me. I clearly remember an instance, where my mother and I were appalled at the cruelty of a woman who used to slap and pinch her child into crying for a shot...

More from this revealing interview in the archives, Cine Blitz cover story from Jan 1992 here.