Steven Spielberg's Film Production Company offered Sridevi a Role in 1992!

The greatest film director of our time, Steven Spielberg turns 78 today (Dec 18). 

It has never been confirmed, but uncorroborated and unverified reports published in the early 90s in Mumbai film magazines stated that Sridevi was offered a film by the most famous filmmaker alive; 'the' Steven Spielberg. 

Now how much of this is true needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as film journalism, especially in the early days, was not one for authentication or fact checking. In the past, when I briefly offered my 2 cents to New York Times regarding a Sridevi feature, three fact checkers messaged to verify reports and quotes. Three! Now this sort of luxury--of unfiltered truth--doesn't exist in Mumbai movie media! 

Scrolling back in time, two magazines, Cine Blitz and Filmfare, brought up the question to Sridevi herself in 1993, was she really offered a film by Spielberg and did she say No to the living legend?! Well, not exactly. 

Sridevi said to Filmfare in Nov 1993, "I've never struggled or anything. If an opportunity comes my way, I'd love to do. And no, there have been no feelers from Steven Spielberg again. I said "no" about a year ago because I couldn't' just quit my commitments in India and fly off to America."

Sridevi was easily one of the busiest stars as in the early 90s, Sridevi was working in the Hindi films Garajna, the epic Khuda Gawah, the tragedy Heer Ranjha, the children's film Aasmaan Se Gira (guest appearance) and the long-delayed caper Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. And lets not forget she was also shooting for Telugu film Kshana Kshanam (which garnered her two Best Actress wins). With a fully booked diary, she really couldn't drop her contractual obligations (legally she would have been in a soup) and she was made of sterner stuff. Professionalism and Sridevi went hand in hand and of course, she was labelled "the hardest working actress" of her time. 

In Cine Blitz, in May 1994, it is alleged Sridevi said, "Not very long ago, I received feelers from Steven Spielberg, but I had to refuse the offer. It’s not possible to just drop all my commitments here and fly off to the States. Though of course if an opportunity comes my way and it’s possible, I’d love to do it.”

Alas, it never came to be. 

How much truth lies in these reports is a question mark, but when Steven Spielberg was briefly in India back in the spring of 2013, he met a few stalwarts of the industry and just one Indian icon; Sridevi.