Boney Kapoor sues makers of controversial new Bollywood film
Boney Kapoor, movie producer and husband of late Bollywood icon Sridevi, is suing the makers of controversial new film Sridevi Bungalow.
It’s been almost a year since the veteran actress died in a hotel room in Dubai, when she lost consciousness and accidentally drowned in a bathtub on February 24, 2018.
Though Sridevi Bungalow has never been pointedly described as a biopic of the late actress, there are more than a few telling similarities. The 90-second teaser, which was released late on Sunday, shows glimpses of a famous but lonely actress, who just happens to be named Sridevi, and ends with a scene showing two feet sticking out of a bathtub.
Social media quickly lit up with fans decrying the “disgraceful manner” in which the movie appears to depict their late hero.
Director Prasanth Mambully and lead actress Priya Varrier have maintained a stoic silence about the connection with the real life Sridevi.
Mambully, in his response to the criticism, has claimed that the film is a suspense thriller and hence is unable to divulge much information.
But after media reports of Kapoor’s intention to take legal action, the director told Cinestaan.com: “We received a legal notice from Mr Boney Kapoor last week. And we will face it. My film is a suspense thriller. I told him [Boney Kapoor] that Sridevi is a common name. My film’s character also happens to be an actress. We will face it [the legal case].”
The Hindi-language film is shot entirely in London. The title in the poster is in the shape of candles.
Asked if the film was based on the late actress, the director explains, “The character’s name is Sridevi. Anybody can be called Sridevi. The story can have certain incidents which happened in Sridevi’s life. I can’t talk more about the film.” The movie is expected to be the launch vehicle to Bollywood for Varrier, who plays the titular character.
At an event where the trailer was officially released, the actress told Indian television channel Zoom that she really liked the script. She said the storyline was completely down to the “director’s imagination and creativity”, before pausing and telling fans “to watch the film and decide if it is relatable to Sridevi.”
While Warrier echoes Mambully’s comments about the inspiration behind the movie, she also seems at ease dealing with the wave of criticism coming her way.
Having shot to fame in a fleeting scene in her debut Malayalam movie Oru Adaar Love, in which she played a schoolgirl winking at a schoolboy, Varrier is no stranger to controversy. Her wink quickly went viral, spurning memes, jokes on the internet, and even a high-profile legal battle in which she was accused of hurting religious sentiments and blasphemy.
Referring to the latter, the actress was quoted saying: “In my first movie itself I experienced cases in the Supreme Court and all that, so I am mentally prepared for all this.”
The teaser shows glimpses of a famous but lonely actress named Sridevi, and ends with a scene showing two feet sticking out of a bathtub