7 of Sridevi's Least Favourite Things: Melancholic Sridevi, Excerpts

Things Sridevi liked, many have written about. Here are the bits and pieces from the archive that stand out for... all the wrong reasons! 

Sridevi, in her own words. 
 

Q: Did you enjoy your TV stint? 

Sridevi: To be honest — no. TV is not my cup of tea. Maybe I didn’t enjoy it was because my children were very small at that time. Khushi was just two years old and Janhvi was four. I had to go to Film City at 7am everyday to shoot for the whole day. By the time I reached home, I was exhausted. It wasn’t a pleasurable experience.

More here.

Sridevi: I hate disco dancing and wearing those outlandish clothes and wriggling on screen. I do it only because it's my profession. I have never been to a disco in my life! But I'm sure I'll hate it anyway, because basically I hate crowds. My mother is conservative and dislikes me going to discos and parties. She doesn't like me going anywhere.

Of late, I have become very short-tempered. Sometimes I get so angry that I break things and smash glasses... I have a very violent temper, but mange to keep it in check. What angers me is lack of discipline and punctuality. If I don't get my breakfast on time, I get mad at everyone including my mother, but if my father is around, I never throw tantrums. I just curse quietly and walk out of the house.

More here.

Any negative reactions from your fans lately?

Sridevi: Yes, they didn’t react well to Chandra Mukhi. I’ve received so much flak for it. Everyone wants to know why I did that project, they say I was wasted.

Read full interview here.

Q: Your first Hindi film – Solva Saawan was a super flop.

Sridevi: Solva Saawan was and still is a bad memory. I had earlier done the Tamil and Telugu versions of the same film, so by the time I got to the Hindi version, I was bored sick! Moreover, I didn’t know Hindi and I was most uncomfortable working in the alien atmosphere of Bombay. I was missing Madras terribly and I just wanted the film to be done and over with. One vivid memory of the film is my messing up the first take on the first day of shooting, which I’m very superstitious about. I knew then, that the film would be a flop. Secretly, I was quite happy because I thought that I wouldn’t have to work in the horrible place Bombay (laughs) anymore. I thought I’d go back, work for a couple of years more, get married, and go away. But God willed it otherwise. Only one thing worked in my favour. The first of my Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films were all terrible flops, after which I rose to the top in all the bilingual films. So Solva Saawan’s failure was in fact a good omen for better things to come.

Read full interview here.

Sridevi, "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." 

More here.

Q: You’re the only actress who has isolated herself to the extent of not having a single friend within the industry. Why?

Sridevi: Yes, it is true that I don’t have a single friend within the industry. But then it is also true, that I don’t have a single enemy here too! I am very reserved and shy by nature. I really can’t help this fact. It’s only now, after so many years, that I’ve at least a working rapport with many of my colleagues. Though it takes a long time for me to open up, I make it a point to wish everyone who I work with before they do.

Frankly, I feel so complete with my family that I don’t feel the need to make any friends outside. My sister is my best friend. This is the reason that I wish to get married and stay in Madras itself. I hate chamchas and have never encouraged them. I am a pretty good judge of character and can make out at once if a person is fake or genuine.

Read full interview here.