Anil Kapoor talks about working with the best: Sridevi

Sridevi and Anil Kapoor with their respective
Best Actress and Best Actor award
for Mr.India back in 1988

Excerpt from an interview with Anil Kapoor in the early 1990s. 

"...if one reads between the words, Anil in turn seems enamoured by Sridevi. "When I was doing Joshilaay, Sridevi was cast opposite Sunny. So it was important that I too have a heroine from the same bracket. At that time I wasn't such a big star so Jaya Prada refused to act opposite to me. I then approached Meenakshi. It took a lot of convincing from me and Shekhar before Meenakshi agreed to work with me. At that time, Boney and I made up our mind that I should work with Sridevi. To prove that I was the best, I had to work with the best. So we began a film Govinda, Bapu was the director and Sridevi the heroine. So that was it, I was with the best. Govinda never got made and we started Mr.India. 

Since then, I've done quite a few films with her and even now there are four or five films coming, Lamhe, Gurudev, Heer Ranjha and Roop Ki Rani." 

He pauses and before I can fill the hiatus, continues, "Till I met Sridevi, I was not bothered about my on-screen appearance. I used to have a stubble. I would be scruffy - and I was on the trip that good acting will count, looks can be overlooked. But Sridevi takes so much care of her looks, her appearance as well as her acting. It dawned on me that with the kind of money we charge, it is essential that we take care of ourselves. We owe it to our producers and the audiences to look good. She finishes at eight every night, if she does shoot later than ten, she'll come at 12 the next day which ensures she is looking fresh in every frame. This helps to ensure repeat audiences since the looks and performance both pull back people. I think that not only is she a very versatile actress but also an amazing lady. A little reserved perhaps but with me, we both talk almost non-stop when we are together."  

MORE RELATED FEATURES

• Earlier feature High on Heroines, Anil Kapoor spoke to Filmfare about working with Sridevi in 1997. 
• Star & Style presents the team of Mr.India awards - more in the archive here.
• Boney Kapoor's long interview with Filmfare regarding life with Sridevi. 
• More images from the film Govinda here! From the epic launch where Sridevi first met Yash Chopra, Javed Akhtar, Boney Kapoor and other Hindi film icons.