Reema Lagoo had no gripe against Sridevi in Gumrah (1993): Fake news spreading online

Sridevi with Reema Lagoo 

The late Reema Lagoo was a wonderful actress, had a stellar reputation of being a lovely person, a thorough professional and she was fabulously outspoken in her interviews with the press.

So it comes across as a shock that years after both Sridevi and Reema passed, an article on Pinkvilla (the bottom feeder of online film "journalism") states that Sridevi actively cut Reema's role in Gumrah in the early '90s as she was allegedly jealous of her.

No proof, no recording, no quote, no research, no verifiable source, just an allegation thrown against the actress based on no fact nor finding. Yet the feature finds traction online and has been re-posted and re-cast in several media outlets.

If you've seen the original material that Gumrah is based on (television series Bangkok Hilton with Nicole Kidman no less), the role of the mom is not a lengthy one. If you have basic common sense, you know that Sridevi was the lead of the film and Reema had a character role, both stars were aware of their roles from the get-go. Sridevi was infinitely secure in her part and having worked with a slew of other actresses over the years had never had to resort to backbiting, editing, or buckling the other to increase her profile.

The only gripe that came out of the movie in 1993 was between actor Rahul Roy and the film's director Mahesh Bhatt, who had chopped his role and a song (Yeh Zindagi ka Safar, a gorgeous duet) as the film ended up being too lengthy for a thriller. Both actor and director fought it out in the press in 1993 and Rahul Roy famously didn't attend the premiere of the film in defiance of it. Years later, Roy and Bhatt made up. 

Reema Lagoo herself never spoke about her role being chopped and she sure as hell didn't blame Sridevi for an act she didn't do! The miscreants who've fabricated this news-byte and conventionally passed blame on someone who can't defend herself is in such poor taste; defamatory at worst, pointlessly mean-spirited at best. 

Sadly, all those who were witness to fact are no longer with us, producer Yash Johar, Sridevi nor Reema Lagoo. At least in death, please can we let them rest in peace?

 Rahul Roy and Sridevi in Gumrah