'Kalank': Madhuri Dixit finds it difficult to replace Sridevi
Sridevi's untimely death shocked the nation last year and we're still mourning that loss. She had also signed up for many films, those roles obviously went to other actors. For instance, she was to do Karan Johar-produced Kalank, but now that role has gone to Madhuri Dixit. Recently, Madhuri got emotional about replacing Sridevi, and reminisced about the latter.
Sridevi breathed her last on February 24, 2018, in a Dubai hotel. It was reported that the veteran actress died due to accidental drowning in the bathtub. She was there to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding, and was apparently getting ready for dinner with hubby Boney Kapoor on that fateful night. Sridevi was cremated in Mumbai on February 28 with state honors.
After Sridevi's death, there were speculations that Madhuri would replace her in Kalank. Later, Sridevi's daughter Janhvi Kapoor put the speculations to rest and confirmed the news in an emotional post. Expressing gratitude towards Madhuri, she wrote sharing a picture of Madhuri-Sridevi, "Abhishek Verman's film was very close to mom's heart. We're thankful to Madhuriji for now being a part of this beautiful film".
Talking about replacing Sridevi, Madhuri revealed that she was shocked when Kalank was offered to her. "What took time was to digest the whole thing that had happened. I was like 'you want me to do this role?' because even filmmakers were stuck. They had to go on," she added. Madhuri also mentioned that it was hard for her to deal with the reality.
Interestingly, Madhuri and Sridevi were touted to be rivals during their heydays. To this, Madhuri said that they hardly knew each other and didn't understand why they were pitted as competitors by the audience. "Our lives were running parallel. But somehow because of that, there's always a presence in each other's lives. We made Pukaar, which was Boneyji's film," Madhuri was quoted as saying.
Notably, Kalank will also reunite ex-lovers Madhuri and Sanjay Dutt, who have given us hits like Thanedaar, Saajan, etc. The Khalnayak jodi, last seen in Mahaanta, will be collaborating after 21 years. Though they never admitted it openly, the whole industry knew of their affair. Sanjay, married to Richa Sharma then, was planning to divorce her and marry Madhuri. But things changed in 1993.
Sanjay got arrested for illegal possession of arms in 1993, and was jailed. That weighed heavy on the relationship, and Madhuri called it quits. She distanced herself and did not visit Sanjay even once when he was lodged in jail. After Sanjay got released, he talked about his affair with Madhuri. Given such bitter past, will they share screen time? Let's wait and watch.
Meanwhile, Kalank will have a great ensemble of cast. Apart from Madhuri and Sanjay, the movie will also star Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Aditya Roy Kapur in key roles. Kalank is slated to hit the screens on April 19 this year.
