Chennai:
Even now I can still see Sridevi walking into the hall on the first floor of my house, dressed in a silk sari. It was mango yellow with a red zari border. She wore minimal make-up and only gold jewellery, but she was radiant, recalls Vijayakumar. The wedding took place at a short notice at his Ekkaduthangal residence. "She was smiling but was also in tears and kept thanking me. I was emotional too. It had been a long week, after all, he says.
Only the previous day, his daughter Dr Anita had got married at the Raja Muthiah Hall. It was a grand, five-day wedding, attended by the who-is-who of Chennai, including the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Sridevi had flown in specially for the wedding. That is when she dropped the bombshell and for a minute everything stopped for me I was stunned, he says.
What did she say? "She said she wanted to marry Boney Kapoor in some quiet temple! The emotion in Vijayakumar's voice is unmistakable even today, 21 years later. "She wanted to get married quietly, as though she had no one. I put my foot down. "There is no way you are getting married in a temple. I will conduct your marriage, tomorrow, in my house, I told her, and she was very happy with that.
A candid shot from Sridevi-Boney wedding in Chennai"You see, she was like another daughter of the house. After I married Manjula, she and Sridevi became very close friends. Sridevi's parents also were fond of us. We used to go to their house for all events, functions and they too would drop in often. We were family, says Vijayakumar. "So, how could I let her get married in a temple like an orphan? Dr Anitha, the new bride enthusiastically took part in the preparations. The women of the house shopped for the wedding sari at Nalli's. "We chose a mambazha colour with arakku zari border, says Dr Anitha. "Appa said we should buy the best for her and gave us the money. We bought a sari that we thought Sridevi would like and also bought the thali from a reputed jewellery store in T Nagar, she adds.
Vijayakumar arranged for the same purohit who conducted his daughter's wedding and roped in a film PRO to ensure that the logistics went smoothly. The first floor of his house was decked up with flowers, garlands and mango leaves. The wedding caterer was instructed to make the feast a memorable one, with every aspect of Tamil cuisine highlighted. "Sridevi was happy that we were conducting a traditional Tamil wedding for her. This is what she wanted. He pauses, and softly comments, "At her funeral, some TV anchors said she liked grand, Kancheepuram silk saris. But on her wedding day she was so happy with the minimal arrangements that we could make. Can you imagine? She was such a great, all-India star and her wedding lunch was served on the terrace of my bungalow, with a makeshift shamiana and hardly 40 people present.
Why was that? Why weren't Kamal, Rajini, Suhasini, Radhika, Sripriya, Lakshmi or any of the other directors she had worked with called? "It is what Sridevi wanted. She did not want us to print big invitations and call everyone for a spectacular wedding; she wanted a quiet, completely personal wedding, explains Vijayakumar.
The guest list included Anil Kapoor and his wife, Sridevi's aunt Suryakala but her sister Srilatha did not attend. Dr Anitha, along with her sisters, helped Sridevi get ready for the wedding ceremony. The rest of the guests were those who had come to attend Anitha's wedding and were staying in the house. "Sridevi arrived with a minimal make-up, so we touched it up a bit. Sridevi had brought only a few gold ornaments and she was happy to wear just those. She did not want diamonds, etc. Boney Kapoor wore a kurta and veshti, she adds.
"The rituals began at 10.30 am and went on for an hour. Anitha helped when it came to tying the thali, says Vijayakumar. "Sridevi became very emotional, there were tears in her eyes when the thali was tied and when Boney Kapoor slipped the metti on her toes. It was over in an hour, and we sat down for ela sappadu. I remember noticing that Anil Kapoor enjoyed the meal. It was not a boisterous wedding, where the bride and groom tease each other or stuff food in the other's mouth. It was a solemn one. She kept thanking me for organising the wedding in our house. "I thought a simple, quiet wedding in an unknown temple would do. But you have stood in place of my parents and have conducted it so well, making it a very personal and memorable moment of my life. I don't know how to thank you. I told her not to be silly and that this is what families were for, says Vijayakumar. The newlyweds left home a few hours after lunch. "Sri said they were planning to leave Chennai after three days, he adds.
Even though the date of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor's wedding is said to be June, 1996, Vijayakumar is unwavering about the January 1997 date. "Would I forget my own daughter's wedding? he asks.
Where did he first meet Sridevi? "Kamal, Sridevi and I were invited to VGP Golden Beach to plant saplings. All of us started as child artistes and had made a name for ourselves. VG Panneerdas and his brother Santhosham had invested in a huge pocket of land and were trying to develop it as an amusement park. The sapling planting ceremony was a promotional event, he adds. Did he think she would become a great star? "Actually, I did not, but I thought she would do well, says Vijayakumar who himself went on to become a hero in the 70s, acting in K Balachander, P Vasu and P Madhavan movies among others. "We became close family friends only after Manjula became friends with her family, he adds.
However, Sridevi was always a private person. "She never discussed anything with other people, never let anyone know if she had personal problems. Her parents decided what movies she should accept. She did not even ask what remuneration she was getting for each movie, or where her money was being invested. She never asked her parents how much she was earning or what was being done with her money says Vijayakumar. "In a way, she was like Jayalalithaa, whose mother managed her life. Once a film was signed, she would come alive in front of the camera. The rest of the time, she was a home bird, he points out. "As far as I remember, she would only visit our house whenever she could. She would relish the fish curry made by my wife, he remarks.
What was her take on other actors, films? "She never discussed that with anyone. She would directly call an actor and praise their movie, like she did with me. She had the capacity to keep a polite conversation going. She had an opaque wall around her that none of us could penetrate. She never discussed personal matters, explains Vijayakumar.
"She was a very nice human being. She needed to be taken care of. Her parents did that and then Boney Kapoor did that. She was very happy with her marriage. She made so many fans happy, and she deserved every bit of the love and adulation she got in her life, and after it, he says.
Indian Idol 15
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