Once in an interview, Smita Patil had talked about Sridevi being a sex symbol in the film industry and revealed that she pitied her.
Born in Sivakasi on August 13, 1963, Sridevi was considered as one of India's most beautiful and greatest actresses of all time. In a career spanning 50 incredible years, Sridevi ruled Indian cinema with her path-breaking performances in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries. She was often hailed as a 'sex symbol' as she left everyone jaw-dropped with her hot avatars in the films.
On the personal front, Sridevi tied the knot with an already-married man, Boney Kapoor in 1996 and broke many stereotypes. The much-in-love couple welcomed two beautiful daughters, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor into their lives. It was on February 24, 2018, when Sridevi left for her heavenly abode after she passed away due to an accidental drowning in a hotel's bathtub in Dubai. Her untimely demise left a huge void in her family members' hearts, who miss her terribly every day of their lives.
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Earlier, in an interview with Stardust, Smita Patil had talked about Sridevi and mentioned that she feels the latter is being exploited in the film industry. Talking about the kind of roles Sridevi chose to do back in those days, Smita shared that she was brought up to think that it's okay to do meaningless scenes to make money. Calling Sridevi her friend, Smita said:
"Sridevi is a good friend of mine. I really would like to talk to her, and ask her whether she is aware of the way she is being exploited. Maybe she is not. I cannot say I was not exploited. During 'Chakra' I was too naïve to realise the suggestion of that bathing scene. I was convinced and I defended it for years. It took me four years to realise – a thinking person like me. And these South Indian actresses have not even been brought up to think. Their surroundings don't give them a chance to grow very much mentally. So it is only natural that they look at life through their parent's eyes. They do these meaningless scenes to make enough money and get married."
Smita also recalled one of the incidents when she was asked to show her legs for a delivery scene and revealed that she had mentioned that her expressions were enough to make the audience understand the scene. Taking a jibe at Sridevi and other actresses, Smita had said that if she wouldn't take that scene, someone else would do it for money. In her words:
"Recently, in an art film, for a delivery scene, the director asked me to show my legs. I said 'No'. There was no need. My facial expressions were enough to give the suggestion. And there are so many other films I have rejected because of this. But this problem is not so simple. Just because I'm not taking these kinds of films. I won't expect the others not to. So someone else takes it. Someone who is getting ten lakhs for showing her legs. And if Sridevi doesn't take it, someone else will."
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Further in the conversation, Smita Patil had mentioned that she hadn't seen any South Indian films, so she had no idea what all the actresses performed back then. Stating that the South actresses might have their own reason for doing such indecent scenes, the veteran actress revealed that such kind of film production wouldn't last long. She concluded:
"Unfortunately I haven't seen any of these South Indian films, but I know what stuff they are made of. These actresses may have their own reasons to do such roles, I don't know. But aisi kitni films chalengi? It won't last. Though, I understand they do the harm that is to be done. But can I tell these actresses, 'Please forget your ten lakhs and work towards a better cinema.' They have a sense of superiority which is material. They feel great about being the sex-symbols of the industry. I pity them."
Indeed, Sridevi will forever be the eternal queen of Bollywood, and there is no second thought about it.
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