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Although it’s been over seven years since Sridevi passed away, the indelible mark she left on Indian cinema remains as bright as ever. Widely regarded as the country’s “first female superstar,” Sridevi worked in several languages throughout a career spanning nearly five decades that began as a child artiste. Known for her versatility and the effortless manner in which she could handle both intense emotions and humour on screen, she remains beloved to audiences and some of the film industry’s biggest names to date.
Legendary cinematographer-turned-director Ravi K Chandran, too, is an ardent fan of Sridevi. He adored her so much that he used to cut out pictures of her from newspapers, film magazines, and movie posters to paste on the walls of his college hostel room. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Ravi opened up about his lifelong admiration for the veteran actor. He also revealed Sridevi’s reaction when he told her about having a “Sridevi room” during his college years.
“When we were in college, I stole one cut-out of Sridevi, wherein she was featured standing, from a theatre and brought it to my room, which became the ‘Sridevi room’. The walls were filled with her pictures. Any time her image appeared in the newspapers, I would snip it out and paste it on the wall. Whenever someone wanted to see her or offer prayers, they came to my room. During exam seasons, we advised each other, ‘Macha, come and take ashirwad from Sridevi,'” he recalled.
Despite rising to prominence in Bollywood, Ravi K Chandran mentioned that he never got the chance to meet his matinee idol for the longest time. He finally chanced upon her quite coincidentally, thanks to her brother-in-law and frequent collaborator Anil Kapoor. He reminisced, “One day, I went to meet director Rajkumar Santoshi for a story narration. Afterwards, he suggested catching a night show of The Hangover, and I agreed. He also invited Anil, who lived nearby. Since his driver was unavailable, Anil came with us, and we all sat in my car. Meanwhile, he said, ‘Let me call Sri also.’ But I didn’t realise who he was referring to at the time. He gave directions to my driver, and I thought we were picking somebody else. Upon reaching there, Sridevi walked in! They asked me to sit in the centre of the back seat, with Anil on one side and Sridevi on the other. Suddenly, I felt like my heart stopped: my screen idol was sitting next to me!”
Ravi continued gushing, “I was speechless. She sat next to me in the theatre as well, and I couldn’t help but keep looking at her. Then I told her, ‘Do you know, ma’am, I once stole your cut-out and kept it in my hostel room? I can’t believe this moment now.’ She replied, ‘What are you saying, sir? I have seen all your films.’ I immediately said, ‘Please don’t call me sir. I can’t handle it. I’m a big fan of yours, and I can’t believe this moment is real.’ That was one of the highest moments of my life.”
Unfortunately, Ravi K Chandran never got to collaborate with his idol. Sridevi passed away in an drowning incident in Dubai on February 24, 2018, at the age of 54. The Bollywood legend is survived by her husband, Boney Kapoor, and daughters Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor.
Renowned for his work in movies like Virasat, Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu, Kandukondain Kandukondain, Dil Chahta Hai, Kannathil Muthamittal, Aayutha Ezhuthu, Black, Paheli, Saawariya, Ghajini, My Name Is Khan, 7 Aum Arivu, Bheemla Nayak, and Thug Life, Ravi K Chandran most recently served as a cinematographer in the Pawan Kalyan-starrer They Call Him OG.
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