The film ‘Baahubali,’ released a decade ago, became a landmark in Indian cinema. The film was a massive hit worldwide. The late actress Sridevi was also offered a role in ‘Baahubali,’ but she declined it. Years later, Sridevi’s husband, Boney Kapoor, made a significant revelation about the situation, indicating that misunderstandings and misinformation spread by the film’s producer led to this decision. When Sridevi rejected ‘Baahubali,’ director S.S. Rajamouli had claimed that Sridevi had requested an entire hotel floor, flight tickets for her entourage, and a fee of Rs 10 crore. However, Sridevi refuted these claims. Now, Boney Kapoor has disclosed the real reason behind his wife’s decision to decline the film. During a recent interview on a YouTube channel, Boney mentioned that S.S. Rajamouli wanted to cast Sridevi in his film. Boney stated that he still has a message from Rajamouli in which the director expressed his admiration for Sridevi. The respect increased further after their conversations because the actress’s suggestions were well-received.
Boney explained that producer Shobu Yarlagadda created misunderstandings regarding Sridevi. Subsequently, the actress did not take part in the film. Boney added, “Rajamouli came to our house for the film. We had a conversation, and when he left, the producer offered Sridevi a fee lower than what she had received for her 2012 film ‘English Vinglish.’ She wasn’t a struggling actress. You were benefiting from casting her. Why would I let my wife do that?”
Boney further stated that Shobu had lied to Rajamouli about Sridevi’s fee for the film. Boney said, “I think the producer never told Rajamouli about his offer. He told Rajamouli that Sridevi wanted an entire hotel floor, a team, but we only wanted to have major shoots during our children’s holidays, so they could be a part of it.” Boney also accused Shobu of labeling Sridevi as unprofessional. Regarding the producer’s claim, Boney said, “If she was unprofessional, why would Rakesh Roshan do three films with her, Yash Chopra four films, D Ramanaidu six films, and Raghavendra Rao more than 20 films?”