Legendary actress Sridevi, 54, passed away on Saturday (February 24) night in Dubai following a massive cardiac arrest. Her sudden demise not only shocked her fans, in and outside the film fraternity, but it happened just a day before her blockbuster film Himmatwala, co-starring Jeetendra, would have completed 35 years.
In an interview to Mid-Day, Jeetendra expressed her grief over her co-star’s death and revealed that Rekha was the original choice for the film. "We all know how it changed both our fortunes. Not many know that Rekha was the original choice for Himmatwala. But I guess Sridevi was destined to do the film - she bagged the role and the film became one of the biggest grossers of the year. And with it, Bollywood woke up to the magic of Sridevi. Today [February 25] marked the 35th anniversary of the film's release and it's tragic how she passed away just a day before... I was terribly shocked when I heard about her demise," Jeetendra said.
For the uninitiated, Sridevi made her Bollywood debut with Solva Sawan (1979), but it was Himmatwala which proved to be a turning point in her career. Directed by K Raghavendra Rao, Himmatwala’s songs like 'Nainon Mein Sapna' and 'Taki O Taki' are famous till date. "I first met Sridevi at the 100th day jubilee function of one of her Tamil films. I walked up to this bright-eyed girl and congratulated her on her performance. Little did I know that we would be working together in a few months' time." Jeetendra added. Sridevi and Jeetendra co-starred together in 15 other films, including Tohfa, Majaal, Aag Aur Shola and Ghar Sansaar.
Jeetendra was all praises for the late actress and revealed that he admired her for “discipline towards her work.” "Sridevi was one of my closest co-stars and we did 15 movies together. She was an actor par excellence. What was even more admirable about her was her dedication to the craft - she would keep rehearsing a scene until she was fully satisfied with it.”, he said.
Meanwhile, Jeetendra's son Tusshar Kapoor also shared a still from Himmatwala as he condoled Sridevi’s sudden demise.
Sridevi's mortal remains are expected to arrive in Mumbai by early evening and the funeral is expected to take place in Juhu.
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 "Sridevi, Jeetendra in 'Himmatwala'")
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