Sridevi left her name etched in many hearts... and in many places

Ironically, in her lifetime, I had little to say to Sridevi. As I mentioned earlier, she wasn’t a friend. However, by virtue of the fact that one walked the same path of showbiz as her — she, the diva and we, the reporters — I realised that a hundred thoughts and moments spent with her continue to haunt me.

I recall visiting her home that is right next to politician M Karunanidhi’s residence in Chennai when I was the editor of a South supplement. An interview with her always meant sitting in the company of three people (besides her) — her parents and sister Srilatha. Sri was never left unaccompanied and her measured answers were further measured by sheer virtue of the fact that her mother ‘watched over and listened in closely’.

(The actress with her parents and sister)

Chennai Bungalow may be sold

Six months ago, the word on the street was that her bungalow could be sold because Sri and her husband Boney Kapoor were looking to invest in a place in South Mumbai.

The steel tiffins at Centaur hotel

During her halcyon phase in Bollywood, she had made Centaur Hotel in Juhu her home. If you looked at the circular corridors of the hotel and wanted to know which suite Sri and her entourage were in, the steel tiffin boxes left outside were a dead giveaway!  Sri, who enjoyed South-Indian meals, would request her producers to leave a tiffin sitting outside the room for her staff and herself.

Her theatre was sold years ago

In Chennai, I also visited the cinema theatre owned by Sridevi in T Nagar (now sold off) and of course, the Sridevi farmhouse on the East Coast Road (ECR), included within the city limits after it became the IT hub. The farmhouse still belongs to her and is maintained by a skeleton staff.

Her sketches are piled up at her mother-in-law’s house

Today, the ground and first floor of bungalow No 8, Andheri, Mumbai is home to Boney’s mother, Nirmala Kapoor. The second floor, which has not been refurbished after the 2013 fire incident, is  home to some of Sridevi’s paintings. Yes, the actress’ love affair with the paint brush is well known. In January, there was talk of some of her works, which featured her niece Sonam Kapoor, being auctioned for charity in Dubai, the place where she breathed her last.

(A portrait of Sonam Kapoor by Sridevi)

The Sridevi bridge in Lokhandwala

(The bridge referred to as the Sridevi bridge)

Back in the day when Sridevi purchased her flat at Green Acres, Andheri, the place wasn’t considered a  fashionable address for a diva, said other filmis. Today, the Green Acres complex is home to Tabu and Juhi Chawla, who has a home in South Mumbai too. 

And the bridge leading up to the building where several film shoots take place continues to be referred to as the Sridevi bridge, named after the icon we just lost.

She was an overprotective mother

Sridevi was loved by her in-laws Surinder and Nirmala Kapoor. When she lost her dad at the start of the ’90s, they treated her like a daughter. And she was happy about it. She was also an overprotective mother. On a plane ride to Delhi once when I was travelling with Boney and her, she constantly walked up to where her baby was (seated with the nurse) and kept ensuring Janhvi, who was a babe-in-the-arms then was okay.

(Karva chauth celebrations at Sunita Kapoor’s bungalow)

Her presence always created a stir 

The Delhi trip I made with Boney and her was to the former’s sister Reena Marwah’s farm house.  It was the mahurat of a film that was being held there. And guess what? No one was interested in the stars of the movie though they were two popular youngsters. People were more interested in seeing Boney’s bahu, Sridevi. I kid you not.  All the domestic help from the neighbouring farm houses and crazy Sridevi fans had come in through the back door just to catch a glimpse of Boney saab’s bahu. Such was her draw even after she had married and settled.

Coco and Panda have fallen silent

Sri’s two pets — Coco (a Pomeranian) and Panda (an exotic imported breed) — don’t know that their mistress has passed.  On Sunday, the dogs had a befuddled look in their eyes wondering why so many strangers were moving around the house, sprucing it up with white gaddas (floor seating). The place was being done up because it is likely that Sri’s body may be brought here for the last rites. Key members of the film fraternity and immediate family may be with her before she is taken to Celebration Club, which is next to Green Acres, where the body will be kept for the last darshan.

(Khushi Kapoor with her pet Panda)

Where did Janhvi and Khushi spend Sunday night?

Sri and Boney’s daughters, Janhvi and Khushi, were at their chacha Anil Kapoor’s home on 7th Road, Juhu on Sunday. However they are said to have moved out by evening. A source said, “In the evening, the girls went with their maasi, Srilatha, to an undisclosed location to stay away from the continuous stream of people who were dropping by. They are both totally shattered by their mother’s demise.”