Sridevi, hailed as the ‘first female superstar’ of Indian cinema, continues to reign supreme in the hearts of millions. Nearly seven years have passed since the gorgeous actress’ tragic demise, but her impact on Indian cinema is felt to this day. And how could it not when her career spanned over 50 years and included a lineup of films in multiple languages and genres! Across her extensive filmography, Pankaj Parashar’s Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin is particularly notable, albeit for the wrong reasons. Recently, the director opened up about the filming experience and even shared a tidbit about how annoyed superstar, Sridevi was with then-rookie, Akshay.
Pankaj Parashar says Akshay Kumar messed up on Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin sets due to nervousness around Sridevi
Sridevi and Akshay Kumar starred together in only one film, Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahi, and apparently the late actress was rather annoyed with her co-star. For the unversed, the film began shooting in 1994, when Sridevi had already established herself as a bonafide star. However, Akshay was relatively new to the industry. He landed his first lead role only three years prior, in 1991, but his actual breakthrough came with the 1992 release, Khiladi.
While Akshay is now a household name and often lauded for his comic timing, it goes without saying that Sridevi was the bigger star in 1994. During a candid chat with Siddharth Kannan, film director, Pankaj Parashar recalled Akshay would often flub his lines due to nervousness about working with Sridevi. Pankaj further revealed that Sridevi recognised Akshay’s potential from the beginning and was highly impressed by his talent. Nevertheless, there were some instances when the Mr. India actress would be annoyed with the actor.
Pankaj Parashar recalls Sridevi was annoyed with Akshay Kummar for flubbing lines
Pankaj recalled one instance when the Hera Pheri star had to do 36 takes! An annoyed Sridevi had approached the director with the command to make Akshay rehearse more. The director laughed and narrated:
“He used to panic a lot. She came and told me, ‘Make him (Akshay) rehearse yaar. He’s already on his 36th take.’ That happened because I refused to call it a shot. It was a courtroom scene and had a long dialogue. If I split it, that would break an actor’s confidence. I told him to do it as long as it becomes ok. Sridevi was sitting right there. When he finally did it, everyone clapped. That gives an actor a sense of confidence.”
Pankaj Parashar says Akshay Kumar was simple, nice, and had a sense of humour even then
Further reflecting on Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin, Pankaj Parashar noted that Akshay Kumar had gained significant exposure from the project. The Star & Style magazine cover story featuring Akshay alongside Sridevi, in particular, brought the young actor recognition, according to the director. Unfortunately, though, the film didn’t pan out as well as everyone hoped. It underwent a decade-long delay before being released in 2004, only to become a box office flop.
Nevertheless, Pankaj Parashar fondly reminisced about working with the then-rookie, Akshay. Calling him a ‘simple and nice person,’ the director said:
“He was a simple and nice person. There was humour in him since then. He would get up at 5 in the morning and wake me up too. Then he would take me to hilltops and do yoga. He would show me positions (asanas), encouraging me as well to do them. He had so much energy.”
What do you think about Sridevi being annoyed with Akshay for messing up on set?
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