When SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali was being made, rumours spread that Sridevi was the first choice for the powerful role of Sivagami. But she never became part of the film. At the time, Rajamouli claimed that the actress demanded Rs 10 crore, a whole hotel floor, and multiple flight tickets for her team. The comments led to huge controversy, with Sridevi strongly denying the allegations. Now, years later, Boney Kapoor has revealed what really happened.
Boney Kapoor Reveals SHOCKING Conspiracy Against Sridevi
Speaking on the Game Changers YouTube channel, Boney said Sridevi’s decision had nothing to do with high demands. He revealed, “The film (Baahubali) with Rajamouli didn’t happen, but I still have his text saying he was a fan of Sridevi as an actor. But after having a conversation with her, his respect for her had increased multifold. That was because of the inputs she gave. She didn’t work in that film because of the confusion that was created by the producers.”
Boney added that Rajamouli personally met Sridevi and was left impressed. But the situation changed when the producers stepped in. He said, “When he (Rajamouli) went out of the room, the producers offered her less money than she got for English Vinglish. She wasn’t a struggling actor. You’re getting mileage out of her, which includes some help in both Hindi and Tamil. Why would I want my wife to do that?”
Baahubali Producers Are The Real Culprit?
Boney directly blamed Shobu Yarlagadda (one of Baahubali’s producers) for misleading Rajamouli. He said, “I think the producers never told Rajamouli about the offer they had made. They told him that she wants the entire floor of the hotel. She wants a certain entourage. The only thing we wanted was for the big shoots to be scheduled during the time when our children had holidays.”
He continued, “These producers were the culprits who fed Rajamouli with wrong things. He said in an interview what all she wanted, and that is false. This Shobu guy was the one who did this, and maybe he didn’t want to part with that money. To say things like ‘She was being unprofessional’ is wrong. People like Rakesh Roshan, Yash Chopra, and Raghvendra Rao have all repeatedly worked with her. Why would they do that if she was unprofessional?”
How Sridevi Responded To Allegations Against Her
Back then, Sridevi also spoke about the issue in a Telugu interview. She rejected the claims of unprofessional behaviour, pointing out that she had been working for 50 years. She said her career would not have lasted so long if she were difficult to work with.
Even Rajamouli later admitted regret. Speaking to DNA, he said he wished he had not made those remarks about the late actress.
Ramya Krishnan’s performance as Sivagami is now iconic, but fans often wonder how Baahubali might have looked with Sridevi in the role.
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