He said, “Sridevi’s mother asked me for INR 10 lakhs, I offered her INR 11 lakhs. She was a top star. And when the makers were casting for ‘Joshilaay’, she was cast opposite Sunny Deol. I wanted my brother to also be paired opposite a top actress. So I met Sridevi in Mumbai. She said, ‘My mom will talk as usual’. So this was my first meeting with her”.
He further mentioned, “We were shooting in a bungalow in Ruia Park. So I went to Chennai to meet her mom. We started talking. She didn't know Hindi or English. But my communication skills were so perfect that I could understand her gestures. So she said, ‘Pappi, price INR 10 rupees. INR 10 rupees meant INR 10 lakhs. I had done some research and inquired in the market as to how much Sridevi charged for her last film. At that time, she had signed the last film for INR 8.5 lakhs. So I thought, ‘She signed for INR 8.5 lakhs, I'll give her 9. When she said, ‘10 rupees’, I said, ‘No’. So she froze for 10 seconds. I said, ‘I'll pay 11’. After that, she froze for 15 seconds. She then said, ‘The staff money is separate, INR 30,000 rupees’. So I said, ‘No, I'll pay 50,000’. So when I gave her 11 lakhs, there was a condition”.
“Her mother said, ‘Who will pay INR 15 lakhs. So I spoke to Yash Chopra, and made her sign ‘Chandni' for INR 15 lakhs. So they were happy. When I went to speak with her mother for the next film, she said, ‘For you, 14’. I said, ‘Why? I'll pay INR 16 lakhs. But on one condition, next film, she has to sign for INR 25 lakhs. She said, ‘Who will give 25’. So, in ‘Khuda Gawah’, she was paid INR 25 lakhs”, he added.
Sridevi was one of India’s most iconic actresses. She passed away on February 24, 2018, in Dubai, at the age of 54. She was found unresponsive in her hotel bathtub, and the cause of death was later confirmed as accidental drowning, with heart failure cited as a contributing factor. Her sudden demise shocked the nation and the film industry.
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