Sridevi signed a rom-com with Kaalidhar Laapata director Madhumita before her demise, Boney Kapoor gave suggestions for Hindi adaptation: ‘I went to her house and she said…'

Indian Express

17-07-2025

Late actor Sridevi's final film was MOM, which released in 2017. However, it has now been revealed that she had agreed to do another film but passed away before filming could begin. In an interview with SCREEN, director Madhumita, whose film Kaalidhar Laapata recently premiered on ZEE5, shared that Sridevi had given the green light to one of her rom-com scripts, but tragically died before the project could take off.
Recalling her first meeting with the veteran actor, Madhumita shared, 'I had written a story for Sridevi ma'am. I had gone and pitched it, and she loved it. She said yes. It was the sweetest thing ever. This was right after English Vinglish had come out. I went to her house. It was a fun rom-com story. I narrated the story to her and she really liked it. I still remember she made green tea for me herself. She said, 'I love it, let's do it.' We were going to make it in three languages – Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.'
The writer-director also met Sridevi's husband, Boney Kapoor, for inputs on the Hindi adaptation. 'I met Mr. Boney Kapoor as well. There were some suggestions he had on how to make it best for the Hindi audience. But unfortunately, we lost her. And now, the script is remaining in the cupboard. I can't imagine another actress doing it. It's very hard for me to think of anybody else but her in that film. I had her in my mind while writing every scene. When she is not around anymore, casting anyone else just seems like a compromise. That's why that script is shelved forever as a homage to her,' she added.
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Talking about her first Hindi feature film Kaalidhar Laapata, starring Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role, Madhumita said that the digital release didn't matter to her. 'There is an opinion that one medium of distribution is lesser than another. With amount of time that people have today, we have to realise that there are certain categories of films that the audience wants to go watch at the theatres. We have to be mindful of that. If it's a big scale spectacle, I would not opt for OTT. But with this one, it's a very personal film. You can watch it with your family at home while relaxing. The kind of film decides the medium,' she stated.
When asked about Abhishek's reaction to the movie's script, she shared, 'After hearing the story for 30-40 minutes, he said, 'When are we starting the shoot?' He was ready to go. It was very respectful. AB sir was so attentive, listening and asking questions. I wanted to show a side that no one has seen yet and they couldn't have possibly imagined him doing.'
Besides Abhishek Bachchan, the film also stars Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and child actor Daivik Bhagela in pivotal roles. Backed by Zee Studios and Emmay Entertainment, it is the Hindi remake of Madhumita's 2019 Tamil film K.D.