EXCERPT FROM ''SRIDEVI - THE ETERNAL SCREEN GODDESS''

By the mid-nineties, most film-makers were at their wits end on how to create characters worthy of her. Sridevi herself shared with magazines that while various producers had signed her up, none had been able to whip up a suitable subject. Mahesh Bhatt admits that it was a tragic waste: 'Back then, we simply could not rise to her potential. There was a universe buried inside her but we just could not explore those depths. She kept bleeding into us the magic of cinema but we neither had the imagination nor the courage to create the kind of roles she deserved.'

This became achingly evident when 1995 turned out to be the first year in Sridevi's career when she did not have a single release in any language. And yet, despite her severely limited choices in mainstream cinema, the actress did not deign to cast a single glance at parallel cinema, did not explore options with a Shyam Benegal or a Govind Nihalani. A strange inertia on her part when she was hungry for enriching roles. Explaining her stance to Movie, Sridevi reasserted her Bollywood mantra: 'I'd prefer to be part of commercial cinema and still give a good performance. It's not necessary that you should do a boring slow-paced art film. I would rather do a Lamhe, or for that matter a Sadma, than a Rudaali.'

The year, however, saw her signing a Malayalam film after almost two decades. Director Bharathan, who had shot child Sridevi in her first-ever ad campaign for Chandrika soap, approached her to play Lakshmi in his biting social commentary Devaraagam (1996). K.P.A.C. Lalitha recalls that more than Sridevi, her mother was elated at this opportunity: 'Although we had not kept in touch, Rajeshwari amma still remembered that my husband had done Sridevi's first calendar shoot and she instantly gave her word that Sri will do this film. Those days Sridevi was so busy in Bollywood that she was not even doing Tamil and Telugu films but she agreed only because her mother had committed to us.'

With Sridevi's professional front silent, her personal life was about to create headlines now. An unexpected tragedy was on its way to ambush her. In early May 1995, Sridevi's mother had suffered a seizure and diagnosis had confirmed a brain tumour. Following the advice of doctors in Chennai, the actress had flown Rajeshwari to the reputed Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for surgery. Boney Kapoor had reached out to her again and this time Sridevi had been grateful. Boney shares: 'My relationship with Sri normalized again. I helped her with all the arrangements in New York and also took time off to be with her family. I got closer to all of them. Many years later, Sri told me something that touched me deeply. She said that while flying to New York, her mother had told her in the plane that if she ever did another film with me, she should not charge any money. I think Sri also started seeing now that my feelings for her were sincere.'

Despite the mental agony she must be going through, Sridevi kept flying back to Kerala at regular intervals to shoot for Devaraagam. Returning from her father's last rites five years ago, she had performed a comedy scene for Lamhe. Now in between attending to her ailing mother in New York, she was shooting for Devaraagam in India. The actress was not only displaying professional commitment but also personal . K.P.A.C. Lalitha wonders from where Sridevi was drawing such impossible strength: 'No one else could have done this when your mother is lying in a critical condition in a different country. I think it was Sri's big heart that made this possible, her kindness and compassion for others. Her mother had promised us and she was honouring it no matter what.'

The girl who had squabbled with K. Bhagyaraj on the sets of 16 Vayathinile because she hardly understood the importance of continuity in a film had now become a wiser woman. K.P.A.C. Lalitha reveals: 'Since the schedules of Devaraagam were erratic due to Rajeshwari amma's illness, Sridevi maintained a book. She would note down all her costume details before leaving so that when she would be back for the next schedule, there would be no continuity issues. Keeping track of such minute details in the middle of a personal crisis is exemplary. I have never seen anyone so dedicated and I don't think I ever will.'

Bharathiraja, who met Sridevi during this time, found her putting up in a small apartment in New York. He suggested her to rent a larger one but the actress wanted to keep things simple. He recalls: 'She was cooking herself and trying her best to put up a brave front. Boney was being a huge support to her. She was hoping and praying that the surgery goes well so that she could take her mother back to Madras soon.'

Alas, that was not to be. The day Rajeshwari was being wheeled inside the operation theatre, she suddenly clutched her daughter's hand, her nails digging into Sridevi's skin. A spasm of terror passed through her face. Glancing at the actress and their family doctor who had accompanied them, Rajeshwari uttered these strange words, 'Please tell them to operate me in the right place.' Their family doctor had laughed and assured her saying, 'Of course they will. It is like telling your daughter to act well.' Hours later, Rajeshwari's fear had come true. In a bizarre case of medical negligence, the neurosurgeon, Dr Ehud Arbit, operated on the right lobe of her brain while the tumour was on the left lobe. The botched job soon sparked headlines across America. While Arbit faced suspension, President Bill Clinton made it mandatory for US hospitals now to disclose their medical malpractices. But in the middle of all this chaos stood a horrified daughter trying to make sense of what had just happened to her mother, wondering if she was to blame for bringing Rajeshwari here, trying to cling to her own sanity as the press hounded and lawyers bickered.

And yet, Sridevi turned up on time for the final schedule of Devaraagam in India. The actress was in absolute control while performing the last remaining scenes—the composure on her face hardly betraying the storm inside her. But when Bharathan gently inquired about Rajeshwari's condition, Sridevi broke down—emotions pent-up over several days tearing through that façade. The star had given way to the person beneath. K.P.A.C. Lalitha recalls: 'She was in tears as she told us that the wrong surgery had affected the memory part of her mother's brain. She said Rajeshwari amma was talking about things that had happened ten years back. But even in that state, Sridevi kept apologizing to my husband that because of her personal problems, Devaraagam had to be scheduled in an irregular manner. She was truly something else.'

It was only after the tumour was removed at Cornell Medical Center that Sridevi returned to India after two harrowing months. While the actress was relieved now that Rajeshwari was recuperating, she was herself battling an enormous sense of guilt. She told Movie: 'I cannot live without my mother. I need her for everything. If I have a problem, I still call her up and ask her what to do. We are virtually bound by an umbilical cord. How can a qualified doctor do something as drastic as this? It's unpardonable. Today, when I look at her, I feel so guilty. There are so many good doctors even in Madras whom I could have taken her to. In the US, I felt so frightened, lonely and lost.'

No wonder then that Boney Kapoor's presence in New York had proved vital for Sridevi. He had represented her in the case proceedings, enabling the actress to spend all her time with Rajeshwari. Back in 1991, the Kapoor household had provided her sanctuary when her father had passed away. Now Boney was standing by her side again when her mother's life was hanging by a thread. The producer was also by her side when she started Sridevi Securities Ltd . A financing venture, it aimed to raise money to set up a studio and fund films. However, dealing with Dalal Street proved too much for Sridevi and she soon shut shop. While the actress continued to refute media conjectures about Boney, she suddenly seemed willing now to get married. Perhaps with her career inching towards its finale and her mother in delicate health, she was keen to settle down. When Movie asked her if she preferred love marriage or an arranged one, pat came the reply: 'Anything. Whichever happens first, I'll go ahead. I feel if you love somebody, sacrifice the world for him. And I am ready to do that.'

(COPYRIGHT - Satyarth Nayak / Penguin)