This article was published in Stardust in 1997:
"You b-, you @!#*!#!. how can you do this to me? If you love your kids and wife so much then why don't you shift back into that house again? You cheat, you liar…" and a string of abuses follow. Believe it of not, that was Sridevi, heard swearing at Boney one early morning at their Green Acres residence at Lokhanwala.
Neighbours and residents of the society were shellshoked at the abuses that echoed from the house of their star resident - Sridevi. For they had never experienced this kind of scene in the five years that the actress has been staying there. The abuses were loud and clear for everyone to hear. A hysterical Sridevi was uncontrollable by Boney, who was trying his best to keep the decibel levels down.
The residents of the colony wondered if the honeymoon period between Boney and Sridevi had finally come to an end. For going by what they could gather, the matter seemed pretty serious. And it was only a few months ago that these two love-birds had defied tradition, society, and even their own considence. The what had suddenly gone wrong? What had made the normally docie and softspoken Sri so violent?
When a neighbour from her building called the Cathouse and told us of this showdwn, "Stardust" decided to investigate. At first we refused to believe this bit of news, for it was too far-fetched. But then when we checked out with a few other residents, who chose to remain anonymous, they only confirmed the same. According to a resident who had picked up every word of the showdown, the reason for Sri's ire and outburst was because Boney had apparatenly made the mistake of meeting Mona and taking his kids for an outing. So when Sridevi learnt about this she fretted and fumed and let all hell loose on Boney - who had no choice but to just stand there and take it all on his face.
The sridevi-Boney shaadi, as everyone knows, created quite a furore when "Stardust" broke the news about Sridevi's covert pregnancy. And that is when the couple came out in the open at a Press conference and got married subsequently. Though the residents of "Green Acres" feel sorry for Sridevi's plight, they are more concerned about Jaanvee. For they feel that if the couple continued to bucker and get at each other's throat then the child was bound to grow un with a lot of complexes. One neighbour felt that Sridevi was over-reacting and dramatising a small incident. "She should understand that Boney is quite attached to his kids and that there is nothing wrong if he meets them or takes them out for a picnic. After all, he is their father". [/b] Another resident interjects with, [b] "Boney should understand Sri's frame of mind. He should understand her insecurities and all that she is going through because of her illegitimate status of their marriage."
The cauldron of insecurity seems to beboiling over, scalding and scaring the actress' psyche. It rankles her no end that Mona is still Boney's legally wedded wife, while she herself continues toremain his mistress, a temple wedding notwithstanding. But what really gets to this ex-Numero Uno is Boney's refusal to completely snap ties with Mona and the kids. And Mona's remark that "Boney and I are more friends then husband and wife", only irritates her further.
It is a known fact that in this entire episode Sridevi has gone through a lot of humiliation. Mona has called her names in print, shedding her to bits everytime she was asked about Sridevi. Also Sattee Shourie had physically assaulted her in front of Boney, Anil and Sunita. What was worse was that Mona, in her "I believe" article in "Savvy", made it very clear that the Sri-Boney marriage had no legal bending. And that their child, Sridevi was livid after this interview of Mona's. For the humiliations were only mounting by the day. An Boney did nothing to else the tension. She expected him to completely cut himself from Mona and the kids. But then, to add insult to injury, Boney was in contact tough with them. At least that is what Mona maintained.
It is probably this togetherness wich Sridevi finds unbearable. And one can understand Sridevi's resentment and insecurities, for to begin with, she has no family. Her only sister has alienated herself by dragging the Devi to court over some property dispute, as she felt that Boney married Sri only for her money. Secondly, her marriage, according to Hindu customs, is illegal as Mona refuses to give Boney the much-desired divorce. And lastly, her career is as good as over. So all this only adds to her fears that her man, the father of her child, might desert her to go back to his (ex?) wife Mona and his children.
When we tried to get in touch with Boney, we were told by his office that he was out of town. And Sridevi is off press. Not that they would have corroborated the story anyways. Such instances are bound to crop up is such marriages, for there is so much of insecurity and instability that everyone involved ends up being miserable. Sridevi, in her pursuit for that little pahhiness, that little love and a secure anchor, seems to have no peace of mind at all.
But then Sri is a strong woman, who survived this vicious industry and ruled it for years; we are sure that she will do the same and fight back every storm that threatens to devastate her very essence of living. After that, life goes on. And at this very moment Boney and Sri are in the USA where the shooting of his film "Pukar", is in progress. Guess it was one of those husband-wife kind of spats that normally happen. Only, here the two are such well-known, high-profile celebrities that anything and everything that they do is open to pu
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