Mumbai, Oct 23 (NationPress) Producer Boney Kapoor once disclosed how he enhanced the artist fee of his late wife, Sridevi. A recently surfaced clip from one of Kapil Sharma’s shows features the producer recounting how he built a long-lasting and successful partnership with his wife before they exchanged vows.

He recounted, “Sridevi’s mother asked for INR 10 lakhs, and I countered with INR 11 lakhs. She was a leading star at the time. When the makers were selecting for ‘Joshilaay’, she was chosen to star alongside Sunny Deol. I wanted my brother to be paired with a top actress as well, so I arranged a meeting with Sridevi in Mumbai. She told me, ‘My mom will handle the discussions as usual.’ Thus began our first interaction.”

He elaborated, “We were filming in a bungalow at Ruia Park. I traveled to Chennai to meet her mother. We started conversing, and although she didn’t speak Hindi or English, I was able to comprehend her gestures perfectly. She indicated, ‘Pappi, price INR 10 rupees.’ This meant INR 10 lakhs. After some market research, I learned that Sridevi’s last film fee was INR 8.5 lakhs. I thought, ‘She received INR 8.5 lakhs, I’ll offer INR 9 lakhs. When she quoted ‘10 rupees’, I declined. She was stunned for 10 seconds. Eventually, I offered INR 11 lakhs. After another pause, she added, ‘The staff fee is separate, INR 30,000.’ I replied, ‘No, I’ll pay INR 50,000.’ Thus, I made her a conditional offer.”

“Her mother then said, ‘Who will pay INR 15 lakhs?’, prompting me to speak with Yash Chopra to secure her for ‘Chandni’ at INR 15 lakhs. They were pleased. The next time I approached her mother for a film, she quoted, ‘For you, INR 14 lakhs.’ I countered with INR 16 lakhs, insisting that for the subsequent film, she must sign for INR 25 lakhs. She queried, ‘Who will offer 25 lakhs?’, and thus, in ‘Khuda Gawah’, she was compensated INR 25 lakhs,” he added.

Sridevi was one of India’s most celebrated actresses. She tragically passed away on February 24, 2018, in Dubai, at the age of 54. She was discovered unresponsive in her hotel bathtub, and the cause of death was confirmed as accidental drowning, with heart failure noted as a contributing factor. Her unexpected death stunned the nation and the film industry.