Sridevi upset with SS Rajamouli’s remarks over her rejecting ‘Baahubali’

The spectacular success of ‘Baahubali 2’ is fueling one question repeatedly. Why did Sridevi reject to do Sivagami’s character at all?

We might just laud Ramya Krishnan’s powerful act as Sivagami and Sridevi fans might regret as to why she let go of such a wonderful opportunity. But it has gone deeper than that. While Sridevi says she had her reasons behind not being a part of the franchise, the producers reportedly claimed she was acting too pricey. Rumouredly, she had asked for Rs 10 crore as remuneration, along with an entire hotel floor for her own accommodation and 10 flight tickets. This, the veteran actress says, has hurt her.

“I have been in the industry for about 50 years and acted in more than 300 films. Do you think I could have accomplished all of this by making such demands?,’ she asked back, during an interview with a Telugu channel.

‘Baahubali’ director SS Rajamouli, in one of his interviews, had stated, “We were lucky that Sridevi rejected the role”. This further didn’t go down well with Sridevi.

“I never took anything about this matter to the heart. But, I saw a Rajamouli interview and I was shocked and hurt by it. I have heard about Rajamouli, he is a calm and dignified person. I have seen his movie ‘Eega’ and was very happy to work with him. He is a great technician but the way he spoke about the issue made me feel very sad,” a disheartened Sridevi said.

Is Rajamouli listening?

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.