Boney Kapoor recenlty revealed how his late wife Sridevi, whose mother tongue was Telugu and who began her career in South films, learned Hindi to ensure her performances in Hindi movies didn’t suffer. He shared some behind-the-scenes insights from her last film, Mom.
Learning Hindi for her craft
Speaking on the YouTube channel Game Changers, Boney revealed that Sridevi didn’t know Hindi when she started in Bollywood. Her first five to six Hindi films were dubbed, but she felt her performances were suffering. To fix this, she took Hindi lessons in the dubbing theatre and began dubbing her own films.
Commitment on the set of Mom
The producer also spoke about the actress’ unwavering dedication, even in her last film Mom, which he produced. He revealed that she not only dubbed for the Tamil and Telugu versions but also helped with the Malayalam dubbing, sitting alongside the dubbing artist to ensure it perfectly matched her performance. According to Boney, very few actors show this level of commitment.
Sacrificing fees for the film
He also shared how Sridevi gave up part of her fees to bring AR Rahman on board for Mom. During the shoot, they wanted Rahman for the music, but he was expensive. Sridevi told Boney not to pay her the remaining Rs 50–70 lakh and instead use it to hire Rahman, showing her selfless dedication to the film.Praising her dedication even more, Kapoor revealed that Sridevi refused to share a room with him during the shoot of Mom. He explained that she wanted to stay fully focused on her character, avoiding any distractions. Even while shooting in Noida and Georgia, she remained completely immersed in the role, putting the film above everything else.
