The date was 24th February 2018. The shocking news of Sridevi’s sudden and untimely death was coming in and I was in disbelief until I verified this with Faraz Manan, who had received a confirmation from Kareena Kapoor. It took me a while to register my favourite star’s death. I followed Twitter updates to know where the body was. I was on the roads, in Dubai, until 4am and returned home only after visiting the hospital. The rest of the night was spent watching her death unravel in the media. The next morning I went to the Forensic Science department of the Police Station near Qusais where the post mortem was underway. I remember seeing her coffin, next to a Pakistani taxi-driver’s coffin, with her autopsy report stuck on top. It was a dreadful sight to recall.
I had written a few stories around this experience of mine and when a book on Sridevi’s life and filmography was in the making, Sridevi’s husband and film producer Boney Kapoor’s team got in touch with me through the author as they wanted me to give them an insight on her fan following in Pakistan. The book is authored by an award winning correspondent and author, Satyarth Nayak, and it was launched by Deepika Padukone and Karan Johar in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, in December last year.
Born in 1963, Sridevi started acting at the age of four. In her career spanning 50 years, she did over 300 movies. Her stardom wasn’t limited to India alone; she was a global star. On the day of her death, everyone from Naomi Campbell to Christian Louboutin to Academy Awards platform paid her a tribute. Satyarth writes, “Her popularity was equally staggering across the border.” The book mentions how the cassettes of her films were booked in advance.
Excerpt: “Dubai based Pakistani writer and journalist Sadiq Saleem recalls that Umar Shareef’s stage shows meant a big deal back then in Pakistan and all his stage shows would have one of Sridevi’s songs. Pakistani actresses loved to clad themselves in white churidars as her Chandni look was the most sought-after trend across the border as well.”
Though Sridevi has been a Manish Malhotra loyalist most of her life, during her last few years, she seemed to have developed a liking for Pakistani designer Faraz Manan. During the last few months, Faraz and Sridevi were constantly in touch with each other. The book mentions her admiration for Faraz Manan’s clothes and gives a glimpse of Faraz’s interaction with the star.
Excerpt: “If the French show-legend Christian Louboutin could hardly stop raving about his lifelong obsession with the actress he called la biche (the doe), Pakistani designer Faraz Manan would always remember her to be a true ‘Shaukeen’. Sadiq Saleem shares that Faraz Manan always gushed about how aware Sridevi was a fashionista. He would tell ‘she did not only wear the dresses; she understood her dresses. From the fabric to the cut to the craft of embroidery, she knew everything so well. Also, she would never accept the dresses as gifts. If she liked something, she would insist on paying as in her words, I like to own things’.”
Sridevi also worked with two major Pakistani stars, namely Adnan Siddiqui and Sajal Aly, her co-stars in her last feature film, Mom. The book sheds light on Adnan’s feelings on hearing of her death.
Excerpt: “An emotional Adnan Siddiqui, her co-star in Mom said Boney Sahab was crying like a baby. For us living in Pakistan, she was a heroine who ruled the screen like a queen. On the day of the wedding, my flight landed at 12 in the night. She said, ‘itni der kardi aapne aane mein. Those words are still ringing in my mind. May be that was her last goodbye’.”
– Sadiq Saleem is a Dubai based entertainment journalist and can be contacted on his page fb/sidsaidso.
