Pressured to lose weight, Sridevi fainted on set and lost a tooth. Eventually the movie was never finished

Economic Times

3 days ago

Synopsis
Director Pankaj Parashar has revealed that Sridevi's health took a severe hit during the shoot of Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin after filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma allegedly pressured her to lose weight. Sridevi reportedly followed a crash diet, cut out salt, and fainted on set—causing facial injuries and the loss of a tooth. The incident disrupted the film's schedule, which was never completed. Her husband Boney Kapoor and actor Nagarjuna had also previously shared similar concerns about her extreme dieting and health struggles.
Sridevi Collapsed on Set After Extreme Diet, Says Chaalbaaz Director Behind the dazzling image of Sridevi's stardom was a harsh reality marked by relentless pressure to maintain a certain appearance. In a recent interview, filmmaker Pankaj Parashar opened up about an incident that severely impacted both the late actor's health and a film project they were working on. Parashar, who directed Sridevi in Chaalbaaz, blamed filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma for pressuring her to lose weight during their collaboration on the 1991 Telugu film Kshana Kshanam—a push that, he claims, led to a disturbing health episode.Speaking to Friday Talkies, Parashar shared that filming for his project Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin, which starred Sridevi and Akshay Kumar, was progressing smoothly until Sridevi began an extreme diet regimen. He claimed that Varma kept urging her to slim down, prompting her to eliminate salt from her diet entirely. The result was a dramatic drop in her blood pressure. According to Parashar, Sridevi fainted on set, hit her head on a table, remained unconscious for around 20 minutes, and even lost a tooth. Due to facial injuries, she had to step away from the shoot, effectively derailing the film's schedule.
The production never recovered. Parashar said that after the incident, a series of unfortunate events followed—the financer exited the project, the producer passed away, and eventually, he had to abandon the film.Years later, actor Akshay Kumar also acknowledged the project's abrupt halt during an appearance on Koffee with Karan. He revealed that the film was never completed, and the 2004 release featured only the footage they had managed to shoot. The climax, where characters vowed revenge, was never filmed. Instead, viewers were met with a written message saying the revenge eventually took place.This wasn't an isolated instance. In a conversation with The New Indian, Sridevi's husband and film producer Boney Kapoor revealed that the late actress often subjected herself to starvation diets to maintain her appearance. He stated that she had experienced blackouts multiple times due to low blood pressure, and doctors had warned her repeatedly. Kapoor also shared that actor Nagarjuna once recalled Sridevi fainting in a bathroom while on another crash diet, leading to a similar injury—she broke a tooth after collapsing.These accounts from those close to Sridevi paint a troubling picture of the toll that constant physical scrutiny and professional pressure can take. Despite her grace on screen, the late actor's journey was marked by episodes of physical strain brought on by demands for perfection.