Today one talks to any producer and they would reveal that star fees are probably one of the biggest costs while making a film. But there was also a time when a producer made sure an actor got a higher price than what was being asked to do his film and that producer was Boney Kapoor and that actor was none other than his wife Sridevi.
Talking about how he first got her to work with him during his conversation with Kapil Sharma on his show he said , “ Sridevi was cast opposite Sunny in Joshilay and she was a top star. I also wanted a top star opposite my brother Anil Kapoor ( for Mr India). I met her in Mumbai and she said the money will be discussed by her mother. So I flew down to Chennai to meet her and she said Pappi( Sridevi) will charge Rs 10 lakh and I had done all my research that she had signed her last film for Rs 8.5 lakh. So when her mother asked for 10 lakh told her I will pay her Rs 11 lakh.”
Not only that Boney also hiked the price for her staff from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 and also made him stay in the same hotel. Boney had also put a condition when he agreed to pay Rs 11 lakh to Sridevi, the condition was that hereon she will charge Rs 15 lakh per film., hearing this her mother was shocked as to who will pay her so much. He promised her that he will get her that much fees and he did that with Chandni, Yash Chopra wanted to sign her and he got the deal done, he also got her Gurudev for 15 lakh, so everyone was happy.
“ When I went to sign her for her next film, her mother told me it would be only Rs 14 lakh, but again I said no and I signed Sridevi for Rs 16 lakh and my condition was that from hereon, she will charge Rs 25 lakh for every film. Her mother again got shocked and said Mr Bachchan charges that much who will pay her so much. But she got Rs 25 lakh for Khuda Gawah” he added.
In the conversation he revealed that the reason to put conditions with Sridevi’s mother was so that she doesn’t sign any riff-raff films.
