Beware! The Tigress Crouches: Sridevi's Defiant Interview: MOVIE magazine cover Sridevi and Sanjay Dutt: Oct 1993

There are very few journalists who Sridevi's entertained with an audience for such a lengthy period. Journalist Nina Arora was one of the lucky few.

Rakesh Shreshta, of course, did yet another glorious shoot for this (half!) cover story with Sridevi. Kindly note in credits, outfit designed by a very young Manish Malhotra, who was a new model-turned-designer then. Sridevi looks like a doll doesn't she?! A fantastic MOVIE magazine feature and shoot. The images were so pretty, it was used in the Lux ad campaign with Sridevi later.

October 1993 MOVIE mag cover story. Well,  half of one... 

BEWARE! THE TIGRESS CROUCHES

"No.1." Two little words which the press now translates as Madhuri Dixit. But why should these two words necessarily spell 'The End' to Sridevi's reign? The public still adores Sri. Film-makers still swear by her, saying that there are certain roles which beg Sridevi's magnificent screen presence. And I, personally, am convinced that she is beyond compare, above numbers, our greatest contemporary entertainer whose track performance unsurpassed by another, other than herself. However, right now, what everybody wants to know is how Sridevi herself feels about her challenged position as No.1. Does she accept the press' verdict, reject it or consider both actresses on par?

Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi at the audio release of Khuda Gawah

Q: Are you aware of any change in your position?
Sridevi: If there is a change, I would notice it immediately. But my position is still the same. These numbers are given by the press. I never gave myself the title of No.1. So all I can say is that whichever position I was in, is still unchanged. I get the same respect from the public as well as the industry. There is no difference in the way they treat me today.

Q: What do you think of Madhuri?
Sridevi: I don't want to comment on any other actress. I've never stooped to the level of degrading any other actress nor do I like boasting about myself. Please keep me out of this kind of controversy. i'm prepared to answer any and every question provided it only pertains to me. But pulling down others to blow my own trumpet is not my style. I'm concerned only with the quality of my work - criticism or appreciation is in the hands of the public.

Q: Is your conviction about yourself based on feedback from the public or is it because you live in an ivory tower and nobody has the guts to tell the empress that she has no clothes on?
Sridevi: It was an innocent child who told the emperor that he has no clothes on, in the story isn't it? Well, most of my fan letters are from children! Moreover, the industry still seeks me out.

Q: Even after the debacle of Roop Ki Rani…
Sridevi: Not a single person has said that the film flopped because of me. I put my best into Roop Ki Rani… exactly as I do with all my films. Some are hits, some flop. I cannot be held responsible for the box office collection of a film. There are other departments and I'm not involved with shaping the film in totality.

Q: But you had a lot riding on Roop Ki Rani… Aftr the failure of big films like Lamhe, Heer Ranjha, etc. It was supposed to be your acid test.
Sridevi: Why should people assume that I am banking on the next film because the previous one may have flopped? Several big films including Sultanat had flopped before Mr. India. Then again, I had a string of flops before and after Nagina. Until Chandni. So, this has happened throughout my career. I started with a flop called Solva Saawan, remember? Yet, I was welcomed back in Himmatwala. Which again was followed by a flop, Sadma. So what's new?

Q: It doesn't affect you that huge sums of money are invested in your films, that the lives and careers of quite a few people depend on the films recovering that money? How can you be so cold and callous as to say that a flop doesn't affect you? You take your moolah and after that, you don't care if a producer drowns in debt?
Sridevi: Of course, I feel bad if a filmmaker suffers losses, but it is all part of the game. I can be blamed only if I have harassed him during the making of the film or if I have not taken my work seriously. Both of which I am not guilty of.

Q: Rumour has it that you charged Boney Kapoor a lakh for each extra day's shooting.
Sridevi: On the contrary I let go of a sizable amount from my fee because I could see that they were in difficulties. Excuse me, I'm not that inhuman. When I said that flops do not affect me, all I meant was that I don't turn into a bundle of nerves on the eve of a release. I felt really bad for Satish Kaushik. Roop Ki Rani... was his first film. He put his life and soul into it. For hs sake, more than mine, I wish it had done well.

Q: Did you tell him that?
Sridevi: Not in so many words. But we were together for some shows abroad soon after the film's release and we've spoken and he knows that I am a genuine well-wisher. If only there was something I could do.

Q: You could make another film with him to show to the industry your unshaken faith in him.
Sridevi: If an offer comes by, definitely.

Q: Just like that, I doubt if it will. If you mean it, you'll have to make it happen. Which producer is going to risk combining two factors out of a massive flop?
Sridevi: Why not, I signed Laadla with Anil [Kapoor] after Roop Ki Rani's release.

Q: You said that if the industry cold-shoulders you then you would notice it immediately. But you've never showed any awareness of your producers' mute resentment at having to pay your astronomical expenses such as airfare to and from Madras, for you as well as your chaperones, the 5-star hotel bills etc.
Sridevi: I've bought my own flat in Bombay and I've been staying there for the past one year.

Q: After a whole decade of living out of suitcases! Didn't you feel at home in Bombay?
Sridevi: It's not that I don't like Bombay. The reason for having to stay in hotels was that I did not like any of the residences I saw. Either the surrounding wasn't as good as the building or the flat was too poky or the security wasn't reassuring enough. Since I have a spacious house in Madras, I decided that it was better to live in a hotel than to organize elaborate arrangements for some depressing little hole in a wall.

I don't think money was a consideration here for either me or my producers. Top stars get paid more in the South. We don't have to come to Bombay for that.

Q: You give the impression of being arrogant.
Sridevi: I'm not arrogant at all. I know my worth which is not the same as being arrogant. The industry has a long list of talented and beautiful actresses whose luck ran out. It can happen to anyone at anytime. Nobody can take your talent away from you, but nobody can help you either the day destiny leads you elsewhere. So what sense does it make for anyone to be arrogant?

Q: There are people who've worked with your for years and they say that they are no closer to you today than they were on the first day. You don't allow people to get to know the real you.
Sridevi: Nothing like that.

Sridevi on the set of Chandra Mukhi

Q: Then has the impression been created because of a language problem?
Sridevi: I speak English aur main Hindi bhi bolti hoon! [and I speak Hindi also].

Q: You are extremely competitive…
Sridevi: Yes.

Q: And stubborn.
Sridevi. Very stubborn.

Q: When it's no longer money, what's the temptation? What drives you to work around the clock? Prestige? Power? An addiction to fame?
Sridevi: It's definitely not the money. It's involvement. Or else, I would be doing 15-20 films and grabbing left, right and centre. I still sign only one of every five offers. I'm so involved in my work, it's like breathing. In fact, I may forget to breathe during an intense closeup but I'll not forget my work in order to laze around.

Q: Though you can afford to take it easy, how long are you going to continue like this, putting your personal life on hold? Though just a couple of weeks ago you had a nasty accident, you only took time off for as long as it needed for the scar on your cheek to heal.
Sridevi: Stupid accident. I'd lost weight drastically and I had a dizzy spell and collapsed. But yes, my mother is very worried about me. She feels I should marry a good man and let him take care of me!

Q: What's your idea of a 'good man'? A mega-celebrity in his own right?
Sridevi: The fact is that my mother doesn't want me to settle anywhere abroad. She would rather have me close by, in Madras. Like my sister Lata. We meet every day. What mummy would like ideally is to find another son-in-law as nice as Lata's husband and one who lives near us. Whenever Lata and her husband come to visit, mummy watches us laughing and talking, she wishes that I too should marry soon.

Q: So what's the hitch?
Sridevi: The bridegroom!

Q: Not your obsessive affair with superstardom?
Sridevi: I don't believe in affairs. I would prefer to take my mother's advice, consent and blessings for lasting happiness.

Q: Even if your choice clashes with mummy's?
Sridevi: Well, she wants that the person should be from our caste. Then he should also get along with the rest of the family. And of course, he should suit me also! We're not bothered about riches. In fact, we don't want an actor. So far, she has not found anyone who meets all our requirements and so I'm continuing to act. I can't leave everything and go searching for a husband. So first let him appear on the scene. Then we will see. In case we disagree over him, still nothing to worry about, destiny will have the last word.

Q: Aren't you scared of leaving such a major decision to chance? I mean, it's a pretty tall order for a man to live up to being Sridevi's husband.
Sridevi: I won't play the star at home. I'm very domesticated. Come and see me at home, you'll be surprised. I dress very simply, I can cook you a meal, but calorie less.

Q: Aren't you being a little too simplistic?
Sridevi: I will choose a very simple husband.

Q: But if he's that simple, he's going to find it more of a problem to adjust to being titled Sridevi's husband.
Sridevi: You'll see, we'll be very happily married. Because I'm a perfectionist. After marriage, I will be perfect as a wife too. I will always be perfect, no matter what I do.

Sridevi, photograph by Rakesh Shreshta. Outfit and styling Manish Malhotra

Sridevi never ceases to surprise me. Although one has heard paeans of praise for her disciplined approach and dedication to her career, one has also heard equally about her inaccessibility, arrogance and cool impassivity. So one has learned not to expect any personal vibes beyond professional interaction. But the day I did this interview, she surprised me again.

She was ill, wan, running a temperature and still having to shoot. She could have easily and politely  asked me to come another day. Instead, she astonished me by waiving away my apologies and giving me all the time I needed. And this in-spite of the fact, that the angle itself of the interview was abhorrent to her.

I didn't know how she would react. Well, she was upset though she bravely tried not to show it. She didn't like being compared to Madhuri. And yet, she took it on the chin like a true pro. Caught between not reacting or be on the defensive or sound boastful, and on the other hand having no desire to rollover and play dead just to convenience her critics, Sridevi, nevertheless took this interview sportingly. 

She chatted, joked and laughed. "You know me so well," she said.

NINA ARORA

MOVIE magazine cover of August 1992: Who killed the woman in Sridevi? A look at the person behind the persona

MOVIE magazine cover girl 

August 1992. Cover photograph by Rakesh Shreshta.

Movie magazine cover story; 

"Who Killed the Woman in Sridevi?"

MOVIE, August 1992
By Nina Arora

I can envisage this huge mountain standing erect and a hundred evil gnomes dancing around it slowly. At first glance their slow rhythmic steps appear to be a part of some primitive ritual in worship of the mountain. But then the beating of their drums quickens in madder and madder frenzy until it reaches a frightening crescendo. And then begins the first faint rumblings warning of the avalanche to follow.

Sridevi is still the No.1 star, the reigning queen of the industry and will continue to be so for now. For there is no replacement on the scene for certain roles that she alone can do justice to. Her talent cannot be denied. There is no contesting the fact that her position is well-earned, well-deserved. The fire as yet un-doused. The prowess, unmatched. then what am I talking about? 

It is not so simple to answer this question except for making it clear that is not Sridevi the actress who is the focus of this article. It is the person or rather, the lack of it within the glittering persona of the star. Therefore, how does one define ambiguity? Or explain the existence of nothingness, or the presence of... absence? 

To a certain extent, this happens to most stars. The self gets obscured. In fact, the brighter the star, the dimmer the person. But even there, a few glimpses, a few traces, a gesture here, a word there, sometimes merely a communicating glance escapes their guard. Perhaps unwittingly, involuntarily, but at least they leave a little of themselves behind. Something that shows you the real person inside, even if all that remained o it was a shadow. But what can one say of Sridevi? Of a woman who shows no signs of ever having existed. Whose emotional responses, if any, are still those of the child who was offered at the altar of the goddess of success. Hers was the ultimate sacrifice. Complete denial of self.


What, now that the hour of reckoning is near? I can hear the faraway drums begin to beat, and see the shadows rise to encircle her in their death dance. The same producers who resentfully yield to her haughty commands, the co-stars with who she disdains any interaction, the rare relationship or two she has banked on, the friends she never made... this same industry which she distrusts and deliberately keeps at a distance s waiting for her to crumble.

What then will Sridevi's future hold for her? What will she have to fall back on?

Q: Can you hear the warning rumbles beneath your pedestal signaling the end of your reign as No.1?
Sridevi: What can I say? I admit that it is only now that I have begun to take an interest in finding out the collections of films, especially about Khuda Gawah. Touch-wood, it's doing well in its seventh week, Manoj Desai (the producer) tells me that Khuda Gawah has not only covered its huge costs but that its giving an overflow. And this man is very blunt, he will tell you the facts to your face. Besides, he has signed me for his next film.

Yes, Lamhe flopped. But till today, whenever I am abroad, fans mention Lamhe before any other film of mine. Even I get surprised how this film flopped - so many liked and remember it. Also, some may feel that I have been toppled yet there are so many who tell me, 'Sri, there is still no replacement on the scene for certain roles that only you can do.' Whatever it may be, Lamhe and Khuda Gawah are once in a lifetime films. Even if I want to, or Amitji and Manoj Desai are willing to go back to Afghanistan all over again, still a Khuda Gawah can never be made again.


Q: So you believe you're still the No.1? No panic?
Sridevi: I'm still enjoying the same position.

Q: Are you aware that the same industry which grovels at your feet badmouths you behind your back?
Sridevi: What do they say?

Q: Your producers complain that frequent flops do not justify your demands, which include airfares to and from Madras, hotel bills and personal expenses on top of 35 lakhs.
Sridevi: Which producers complain - the ones who keep repeating me? Harmesh Malhotra is doing four films with me, Yash Chopra has signed me again after Lamhe, and Manoj Desai after Khuda Gawah. I can sign 20 more films and make a lot more money. I'm the one who is selective. Producers pay because they know what they are getting in return. I'm not like those heroines who merely give their shot and rush off. Once I commit myself I give my complete concentration to the project - role, director, costumes, scenes and the difference shows on screen. It has upset me, hearing about these complaints. What else do they say?

Q: They call you a mean machine - cold and unfeeling.
Sridevi: (Distressed) It is true that just like that I do not communicate my feelings. I feel funny, why simply show what I am feeling all the time? How is the industry concerned with my feelings? I speak my mind clearly regarding my work. You ask any director, they will tell you how I argue when I feel that a particular scene is not to my liking or sometimes it happens that I want to make some suggestions if I feel that this is how this character should react. And I will not give in unless my director is able to convince me and I am satisfied. In one scene in Mr India, Shekhar wanted me to cry. I told him no, all along, it has been shown that this girl is hating children, so all of a sudden how can it be that she will start crying? She will feel sad, no doubt but simply she cannot start howling...

Q: I can see the point you are trying to make. But why is it that you relate everything to your films? Whereas art is supposed to imitate life do you realise that emotional life gropes for inspiration from the stock situations in films?
Sridevi: (Smiles). What life had I seen? this reminds me of an incident when I was 13 years old. They gave me to wear a heavy silk sari and told me, 'You are playing Rajnikant's step mother in this film.' I am slightly big made, no? So, because I was tall and looking quite grown up with the sari and make-up, even my director forgot that I was only 13. For one scene, he was not satisfied with my expression. He ordered, 'Show more love.' I did not know what to do. He began to shout, 'If you don't know what is love, go see some films and learn.' the next day itself I went to see Geet Gaata Chal because it was supposed to be a love story! I would keep concentrating on the heroine's expression whenever she came near the hero. How many times I saw that film considering it to be the height of passionate love!

Q: It appears that you did all your growing up in the studios since the age of four.
Sridevi: That's true.

Q: Wouldn't such an excessive deluge of make believe result in an ineptitude at coping with reality? Did it cripple your emotional growth?
Sridevi: (Laughs). Like the role I played in Sadma? You mean, I act as if I am six years old?

Q: Judging by your emotional responses, yes. Obviously you look like a full blown woman but the fact that the only ones you can bring yourself to trust are your parents and sister indicate a frightened, clinging child, not a mature person. Why is it that you instinctively distrust everyone? Why are you afraid to love?
Sridevi: There are many reasons. Basically, I suppose these are the after effects of growing up in the studios, like you said. Normally, children benefit from attending school, mixing freely with other children and all that, whereas I did not get that opportunity. There was only Srilata, my sister to fight or play with. That is not the same as being with children from different homes because there you learn to adjust whereas on the sets, I was pampered. You see, I was always the baby in the unit. I was playing the girlfriend or wife of very much older heroes like NTR. (Like that Tamil film which I told you about where I was married to Rajnikant's father!). Pampered like a kid by my seniors, doted on by father... I remained basically like a child.

Moreover, how does any child grow to maturity. Either you learn from books or from life, isn't it? Life has been too kind to me. On top of that, my parents protected me absolutely. I was not left alone even for a minute. I think it is very important for a young girl in this industry to have the strong backing of her family otherwise if you are not knowing anything you can fall into the wrong hands, then what?

I am lucky that I did not need anyone else because my parents were always there to look after me. I don't have any friends. See, it's not that I distrust everybody but if my parents would leave me alone for any reason I used to feel very lost. Even it's not true that I have no emotions. I'm emotional about my family. That is why I was totally shattered by my father's death. You say that I do not feel like a woman. Well, I too want to get married and raise kids. No need to waste emotions before the right man comes along. Why am I afraid to love? (Falls silent).

As yet, I haven't met a man worth loving...


Q: If you keep evaluating men by the yardstick of success and wealth, no man can measure to the standard that you have achieved. Isn't that why you rejected Rajnikant once you superseded him. Reportedly your ditch drove he sensitive Southie to an emotional breakdown to the extent of attempting suicide.
Sridevi: Mr. Rajnikant? Went into hospital? When was this? For me? This is simply not true. I'm very distressed to hear that such a wild rumour is making the rounds. If he was in hospital it must have been for some other reason not me. In fact, I am feeling very sorry that Rajni sir was in hospital and I was not even aware of it.

Q: Why do your personal relationships, few as they are, fizzle out? Why are you so inept at sustaining relationships?
Sridevi: I don't have friends I told you. My relatives are more than sufficient to keep me happy. That's why you'll see a different me in Madras. I laugh, cry, get hurt like everyone else. The only difference is that my private life is not on show.

To tell you the truth, I've opened up my heart to you more than I've ever done before. I'm being very honest with you. See, what happens is that whenever I've gone out of my way to be helpful or friendly, it's been flung back on to my face. And if the other person steps back, I take a hundred steps back. But if they take even one step towards me, I take two hundred steps towards them.

When Jaya Prada dropped in to offer condolences for my father, for one minute I was absolutely stunned. I did not know how to react as she said, "I'm very sorry that this happened." After she left, I found myself moved to tears by her sincerity. I'm very touched by Jaya's gesture.

On the other hand there was an occasion when I actually treated a certain newcomer like a sister and went to the extent of even promoting her, getting her films as a heroine. She used to touch my feet until one film became a hit. Then she changed her tune overnight. Once when we were both shooting on a hill station, she even phoned saying, "I may be shooting close by but I'm too busy to see you." What cheek. Incidentally, I was extremely hurt but I never let her see it.

Q: Would you say that your fickle behaviour towards Rekha was any different from the starlet's?
Sridevi: Can I avoid this question?

Q: Why?
Sridevi: I don’t want to steer a hornet's nest by unnecessarily speaking about Rekha.


Q: Weren't the pair of you very thick when you first arrived in Bombay? Wasn't it Rekha who recommended you to Jeetendra, taught you the art of make-up and I believe that Amitabh, Mithun, Rekha and you often spent time together?
Sridevi: At that time Rekha had no films and so she had ample free time to drop in on my sets whenever she liked. She would offer advice, "Sri, don't you think this will look better on you than that?” And I used to just listen to her because she was my senior and all. But you cannot compare me to an ungrateful starlet because I was already a top star in Tamil and Telugu films before coming here. It's not as if I needed help - it was nice of her to offer advice but I didn't ask for it. I'm not guilty of cold-shouldering Rekha. For one thing, Rekha being an extrovert makes a big show of warmth but I cannot open my mouth wide, and wave frantically and scream "Hiii!" That's not me. We still meet cordially if not frequently but that's more because she is working again and let's just say that we are both too busy to go out of our way to meet.

Q: What of the future?
Sridevi: Life just happens, so why should I waste this moment by planning for the next? You remember, last year I had told you that I would quit while I was at the op, in the next interview I had changed my mind and decided to continue? Yet, after my father's death I was so much disturbed and since mum also was insisting that I should settle down, I actually called the producers whose films had not begun and I begged them, “Please take back your amounts." But they refused, saying “Don't decide in haste. We will wait." And see, I changed my decision again. It just shows that plans do not work for me. Actually, I'm enjoying myself too much to throw it up overnight.

Q: I meant, your future outside films? After sacrificing yourself at the altar of success what is left for you to fall back on?
Sridevi: The future itself!

Q: You mean, you'll finally find time to fall in love?
Sridevi; (Laughs) You don't require time to fall in love! It strikes like that! (snaps her finger).

By Nina Arora