The Mithun - Sridevi saga, according to Mithun: And Bollywood Tabloids: Unrequited love in Bollywood in the 1980s!

TBT: Filmfare, Nov 1984. A snippet on the alleged romance/marriage between the two mega stars of Bollywood in the early 1980s, Sridevi and Mithun Chakraborty.

Much tabloid ink was spilled over the alleged romance between the stars but both denied it and stuck to their guns till the very end. All we have now is tabloid gossip lingering in the guise of confirmed news.

For the record, we don't think they ever married - in the eyes of the law or lord - and we have... nothing else to say about it.

However, actor Mithun does. Well, he did back in 1984;

The Mithun-Sridevi rumour is almost at its peak according to Mithun. "I'm not saying anything," he laughs, "because I've been this way before. In the gossip mags, it starts off with attraction, then seeing each other, visiting one another's location, getting married, finally they have two children and then they split. It's all very very routine."

And yet he adds seriously, "What worried me is that I have met Sridevi's entire family. They are an orthodox, well-brought up sort of family and I wonder how they react to the talk that I have even bought a bungalow for her. It's okay for me. I'll survive all this but what about her?"

According to Mithun the rumours started when he likened Sridevi to Vyjanthimala and then added that he had a crush on the latter.  "A lot was read into my statement," he complains. "Sridevi and I have worked together only in one film, Jaag Utha Insan, and we became good friends on location in Guntur, The way I am with everybody. we would all get together (he, Rakesh Roshan, K. Vishwanath) and have fun. Sridevi would often join in. I think she's a wonderful person, a terrific actress and nothing, least of all rumours, linking her with me, will make me change my opinion. The last time I met her, was on the last day of shooting of Jaag Utha Insan. After that I have been out of town and out of the country very often. So where's the question of our meeting?"

Excerpt from Filmfare Jan 1986; 

After struggling for more than a decade, why is he now allowing trivial factors to influence his career? Reportedly, he stopped signing films with Sridevi because of what we journalists had written about him. How could he lose the opportunity to star opposite the most in demand leading lady when everybody else was dying to work with her?

"I am working with each and every heroine. I don't bother about who my heroine is. Ultimately it's the film that runs. So I'm not dying to work opposite her, like you say others are. But let me clarify, it was not me who did the refusing. It was she who made this decision. When I heard that she had withdrawn her name from three films I got the message. So even I started discouraging producers from casting us together. It doesn't make any difference to me if we do films together, or we don't. I don't feel flattered or anything like that to be cast opposite her.

"But now we are doing a film for Gaffar Nadiadwala. When he asked me if I had any preservations. I said 'No' because he had got the okay form her. I will never shoot the gun from her shoulder. If others are doing ti they are welcome to do so." 

Above: the Mithun and Sridevi cold war on set.

Sridevi was 20 when she first met Mithun on the sets of Jaag Utha Insan - Mithun Chakraborty was 33! The age disparity was obvious, but oddly the power structure wasn't wide. Sridevi was a massive superstar already - especially down South where she was shooting for this film - when even Mithun felt he was "an extra" on set while the leading lady danced away. This excerpt from a talboid sensationalises their alleged first meeting- speculative journalism in the cine world is nothing new - and it continues till date. Excerpt;

Sridevi's dangerous affair!

Raakesh Roshan's Jaag Utha Insan, may just awaken the world to a new romance. A romance between two opposites who got attracted to each other in the remote town of Guntur. A romance planned by circumstance, romantic scenes and time that stood still.   

It might have been between Raakesh Roshan and Jaya Prada. But fate thought otherwise. Jaya who was to initially do the film could not accommodate dates for Raakesh's film...   Sridevi who was keen on doing the role, approached K. Vishwanath, the director of the film, a favourite of hers. She would give bulk dates, she said, she would reduce her price from eight to four lakhs and she could dance. She wanted the film badly. And so it all began.   

It also began with Mithun wanting to work opposite her as he admired her as an actress. He assured Raakesh Roshan of his full co-operation and got the film.   

On October 1, 1983, the first schedule of Jaag Utha Insan was launched at Seth Studios. Mithun met Sridevi for the first time. He was over-awed by her and didn't have the guts to speak much to her. Sridevi also being very reserved, there wasn't much conversation between the two. A major song sequence was being picturised on Sridevi, while Mithun had to stand amongst the crowd. Mithun's appropriate remark to a friend later was, "With her, I felt just like one of the crowd."   

The only thing that set Mithun's friends thinking at that time was the fact that Mithun kept referring to Sridevi as a "gori chitti". It was the first thing that initially attracted him to Yogeeta. And the other "gori chittis" he had soft spots for, were actresses like Zeenat, Poonam, Tina. But they were unreachable and Mithun felt the same about Sridevi—she was just another 'big' person. So he went back to his work, and she to hers.   

In December '83, the unit of Jaag Utha Insan, left for a 10-day location stint in Guntur. K. Vishwanath had been attracted by a beautiful temple in a remote village close to this town. Apart from this, they were totally cut off from civilisation. They stayed at the only deluxe hotel Ravishankar and drove to the location on 6'-wide roads, along which bullock-carts travelled.   

In a setting such as this, Sridevi and Mithun were thrown together. Apart from shooting, there was little else to do. Initially, Sridevi was quiet and withdrawn. But Mithun's natural enthusiasm soon put a stop to that. He saw to it that they sat together and joked all day. And being a great story-teller, Mithun found an attentive listener in Sridevi. When they got to know each other better they started playing cards and Mithun would tease her mercilessly, as she was bad at the game.   

To add to all this, some very romantic songs were being picturised on the two, which served to make them more aware of each other. The sparks ignited and flared into an attraction which they could no longer conceal. But 10 days flew by and it was soon time for them to return to reality.   Reality, was two weeks away from each other, two weeks that strengthened their feelings. They couldn't wait for the next schedule of Jaag Utha Insan. And as luck sometimes favours even illicit attractions, they were together again in Guntur. This time for over a whole month, as the schedule was fixed from January 15 to February 17. 

Sridevi was accompanied by her aunt Lalitha and her sister Latha, but she spent all her time in Mithun's company. So involved were they, that their feelings were plain for all the unit to see.   Sridevi normally has two rooms booked in her name, one for her aunt and one for Latha and herself. But this time the unit noticed that Latha moved into the aunt's room, so that Sridevi had her privacy. And when the shooting packed up in the evening, she spent every moment with Mithun, till she went to bed at 9.30 p.m. 

Originally, the two artistes had separate cars to travel to the location in. But soon everyone noticed that they travelled together, in one car, on the one-hour journey, leaving their respective makeup people etc., to make their way in another car.   

And even on the sets, despite the people around, they were in a world of their own. Photography being a favourite hobby of Mithun's he went wild clicking Sridevi's pictures. He'd then develop the prints and give them to her, keeping the ones he liked. She, in turn, would..."

Oh! What a Lovely War! 

One thing you have to credit Lady No.1 is professionalism. Despite all those stories about Mithun Chakraborty and all her denials and the subsequent cooling-off, Sridevi is doing two films (A.F. Nadiadwala's yet untitled film and Guru) - even though they give the impression of not being on talking terms.

But as n inebriated lyricist put it at the Guru mahurat bash: "See, Mithun is still desperate to marry Sridevi. But her mother's threatened to disown her. So she doesn't look at him any more and he's just hoping for a change of heart. After all, Hema Malini also kept Dharmendra waiting for years., didn't she?" And you wish lyricists wouldn't babble too much after whiskey. If Mithun and Sridevi look too romantic in these pics taken on the sets of Nadiadwala's film, it's because they are both good performers!

Some of sooooooooo many tabloid headlines from the Sridevi and Mithun Chakraborty chronicles.... 

Star & Style, the cheaper tabloid version of Stardust - had a field day with the Sridevi and Mithun saga. 

Left: Sridevi's alleged quote on the entire biz. Published in Cine Blitz in 1988. I... have sincere doubts about the veracity of the quote, the nameless 'journalist' and the frank and forthcoming statement that seems very unlike the perennially shy Sridevi that most fans know of.