Ageless Diva’s Ego Clash Costs Her Mega Southern Project

March 29, 2011

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One of Hindi cinema’s most glamorous evergreen queens, inching toward 60 but fiercely holding on to her youthful screen image, has reportedly walked away from a big-ticket film opposite a legendary Southern megastar. The ambitious project, which features the veteran hero in multiple avatars paired with different leading ladies, apparently hit a snag when the diva realised the role offered to her aligned with the oldest of his on-screen personas.

Sources say the star was far from thrilled at the idea of embracing a character that reflected her real age, despite the scale and prestige of the project. While her camp has been politely citing remuneration issues as the reason for her exit, industry insiders insist the real discomfort stemmed from being slotted as the “senior” female lead in a film that also features a much younger heroine romancing the hero’s younger avatar.

The situation reportedly became more awkward when the makers locked a fresh-faced actress in her early 20s for one of the other parts, setting up an inevitable comparison the diva wasn’t keen to invite. Unwilling to risk being seen in a visibly age-appropriate role alongside a younger co-star, she is believed to have opted out swiftly.

Producers, determined to stay on schedule, wasted little time in recasting and roped in another seasoned actress in her 60s who, insiders say, had no reservations about playing a character that matched her age — and the film moved ahead without further drama.

Source

https://openthemagazine.com/voices/showing-off-a-bit-much

Guess

Sridevi, who was being considered for a role opposite legendary Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. The film was reportedly Rana (which was later shelved), an ambitious project where Rajinikanth was set to play a triple role. The script required three leading ladies to star opposite his three different avatars (an older, middle-aged, and young version).

The Replacement: The blind item mentions another senior actress “well into her 60s” was quickly cast in her place, which was speculated to be either Hema Malini or another veteran actress