Shekhar Kapur remembers Sridevi as director's best friend; celebrates her 63rd birth anniversary

On the 63rd anniversary of her birth, late Bollywood icon Sridevi was remembered by director Shekhar Kapur with a throwback photograph from their first collaboration, the 1987 science‑fiction film Mr. India. The image, posted on Instagram, captured the young actress in a scene from the film Joshilay, a moment Kapur said “her eyes flashed startlingly” and that it was as striking as later shots from Mr. India. Kapur, who had directed Sridevi in Mr. India, wrote a heartfelt caption that highlighted their friendship and the special bond they shared on set.

In his note, Kapur recalled how the film would not have been possible without Sridevi’s collaboration. He described the excitement of arriving on set and the surprise she would bring each day. “She would never fail to surprise you,” he wrote, adding that when the camera was off she seemed almost humble, “quietly sitting in her chair, almost in denial of her stardom,” a stark contrast to the larger‑than‑life persona she displayed on screen. Kapur said that when she was in front of the camera, “it was as if magic happened,” and that her energy was electric, so much so that the crew sometimes forgot to switch the camera off during dance sequences because he could not say “cut.”

Kapur’s tribute also reflected on Sridevi’s career, noting that she began as a child actor and became one of India’s most celebrated female stars, working across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam cinema. He remembered her iconic roles in films such as Chandni, Lamhe, Chaalbaaz, Nagina, Sadma and the recent English Vinglish, as well as her final film Mom, for which she posthumously won the National Award for Best Actress.

Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in 1963, Sridevi’s life ended tragically on February 24, 2018, when she drowned accidentally in a bathtub at a Dubai hotel. She was in the United Arab Emirates for the wedding of her nephew, actor Mohit Marwah. The news of her death sent shockwaves across the film industry, and her legacy continues to be celebrated by filmmakers and fans alike.