The film ‘Baahubali,’ which was released a decade ago, is considered a milestone in Indian cinema. The film was also well-received by Hindi audiences and earned a substantial amount worldwide. The late actress Sridevi was offered a role in the film, but she declined. Years after, Boney Kapoor, Sridevi’s husband, disclosed the reasons behind her decision, attributing it to misconceptions and false information spread by the film’s producer. When Sridevi rejected the offer, director S.S. Rajamouli claimed that she demanded an entire hotel floor, flight tickets for her team, and a fee of ₹10 crore. Sridevi, however, denied these claims. Now, Boney Kapoor has revealed the real reason why his wife turned down the role.
In a recent interview, Boney revealed that S.S. Rajamouli wanted to cast Sridevi in his film. Boney still has a message from Rajamouli expressing his admiration for Sridevi. The respect and admiration grew further after their conversations as the actress’s suggestions were highly valued.
Boney explained that producer Shobu Yarlagadda created misunderstandings surrounding Sridevi’s involvement. Consequently, the actress did not participate in the film. Boney added that when Rajamouli came to their home, the producer offered Sridevi a fee lower than what she had received for ‘English Vinglish’ in 2012. He questioned why he would allow his wife, who was not a struggling actress, to accept such a low offer, considering the benefits the filmmakers would gain from casting her.
Boney further asserted that Shobu had misled Rajamouli regarding Sridevi’s fee. He suggested that the producer never disclosed the actual offer to Rajamouli. Instead, Shobu allegedly told Rajamouli that Sridevi wanted an entire hotel floor and a team. Boney clarified that they only desired for the major shoots to occur during their children’s holidays to enable their participation. Furthermore, Boney accused Shobu of labeling Sridevi as unprofessional. In response to the producer’s accusation, Boney questioned why Rakesh Roshan would collaborate with her in three films, Yash Chopra in four films, D Ramanaidu in six films, and Raghavendra Rao in over twenty films if she were unprofessional.
