On the 13th of this month, Sridevi would’ve turned 61.
She may have passed on untimely at the age of 54 but if you step into the stunningly elegant three-tiered apartment that husband Boney Kapoor has moved into, you can’t help but feel her presence all around. It is as if with every lick of white paint and every piece of curated artefact, Boney wanted Sri to be captured all over the vast 28,000 sqft property that includes spacious gardens, swimming pool and liquor bars.
It is a wealthy man’s residence so finely put together that it screams quiet affluence without grandiose opulence. There’s a long, one-piece dining table and a one-piece mirror on the wall that rises from the ground floor to the first. It’s not Sri herself but a mosaic of naughty facial expressions and glimpses of Charlie Chaplin that creates the aura of the late actress around the house. Even a portrait of Sridevi in the bedroom seems like the big round eyes are keeping a watch on her family.
In his early years, Boney was not known to be hands-on house-proud but making and maintaining this beautiful apartment appears to have brought out a man obsessed with keeping his wife as close to him as possible, picking up unique pieces from his extensive travels and personally ensuring that Sri would be proud of every nook and cranny. He has refurbished Sri’s Chennai bungalow too, turning it into a mansion fit for royalty.
In her lifetime, Sri would hold on to Boney, grip his hand tight or give him a hug. For someone unused to being demonstrative in public, he soon became comfortable with their PDA as a couple. But after she has passed on, it is Boney who seems to hold on to her by design, not just reluctant to let go but revelling in her presence around him. This 13th, Sri will still be alive in the house her husband has built for her and their daughters at the foot of Pali Hill.
Speaking of daughters, Shilpa Shetty threw a party at her Juhu house for mother Sunanda’s 75th birthday, inviting all the people who’ve been close to her. Rekha, looking lovely in a tissue saree and not her usual Kanjeevaram, Poonam Sinha, Salman’s mother Salma, Rani Mukherjee and Esha Deol were some of the 50-odd guests who had a ball playing housie and then a round of let’s-quiz-Sunanda. When she was asked who was her best and her oldest friend, Sunanda answered both questions by naming interior designer Jenny Shetty who, of course, was on the guest list.
Most popular was the Shettys’ ayurvedic doctor from Calcutta who asks his patients to close their eyes, studies them and gives an accurate diagnosis. Shilpa had organised the evening with such care that the spirited seniors partied till the wee hours of the morning. “It’s the least we could do for her, considering all that she’s done for us,” said a satisfied Shilpa. Sunanda, as most people know, has her own set of friends who enjoy her astrological skills.
Wonder what her predictions will be for the bleeding film industry that continues to woo the big screen, believing that the more they bloat, the wider the audience. The makers of Martin, an action film due this October, are ambitiously looking at releasing their film in 13 languages, English, Hindi and Bengali included. For the trailer release in Mumbai, they hired an event management company to fly down the media from countries like Japan and Korea. Hilariously, the Q&A was so stage-managed that the journos who were flown in as guests were given folders, inside which was the question to be asked.
The film industry has got so used to PR-curated sessions that the disease of losing your cool over questions out of syllabus has spread from politicians to actors. Recently, at the trailer launch of Vedaa, when John Abraham was asked a question about being repetitive in his films, he answered it with controlled anger but the cameras also captured an obscene gesture from him. Chill, boys. Reserve your aggro for the screen.
