Every woman wanted to be Sridevi: Rani Mukerji

Docu-series ‘The Romantics’ pays homage to Sridevi, the iconic Yash Raj Films heroine who made the entire country fall in love with her in the cult romantic blockbuster ‘Chandni’. Actress Rani Mukerji said that every woman wanted to be like the late veteran star. The late Yash Chopra is seen revealing why he wanted to make a pristine love story for audiences. He said: “Our industry had reached the saturation point of violence. I said okay, now I’ll do the biggest gamble of my life whatever happens. I won’t make a film with formulas, with calculations. I will make a film which will touch my heart. I started Chandni.” However, the legendary Yash Chopra’s career was at a low then, having delivered some unsuccessful films. So, it was not easy for him to sign Sridevi, who in her prime was considered bigger than the heroes of India. Even though he had never worked with Sridevi, Yash Chopra admitted that he was impressed by the Tamil drama Moondram Pirai that Amitabh Bachchan had shown him. Anil Kapoor revealed: “Sridevi was the top star at that time. I didn’t know how to approach her. I asked my brother (Boney Kapoor) to speak to her. So, my brother flew down to Chennai to talk to her mother. It didn’t matter to her who Yash Chopra is, who has made such great films, it was just the money.” The success of ‘Chandni’ was a watershed moment for Yash Chopra and YRF’s destiny and Sridevi’s brilliance in Chandni has inspired the leading ladies of our times to follow in her footsteps to deliver path-breaking performances on screen. Rani Mukherji said: “Like every woman wanted to be Sridevi. She was the epitome of grace, beauty, and performance. She was just everything, that a Hindi film actress needed to have.”