Film producer Boney Kapoor has recalled the final moments of his wife and iconic Bollywood actor Sridevi.
Boney opened up about the superstar's sudden demise with his friend, trade analyst Komal Nahta. Nahta has shared Boney's account in a blogpost.
The couple were in Dubai to attend a family wedding, however, Boney and their younger daughter, Khushi, flew back to India as Sridevi stayed back for a few more days to shop for their elder daughter Janhvi, who wasn't able to make it to the trip.
Boney, however, made a trip back to Dubai to surprise Sridevi. "On 24th morning, I spoke to her," recalled an emotional Boney, "when she told me, 'Papa (that's how she addressed Boney), I'm missing you.' I also told her that I was missing her a lot. But I didn't tell her that I would be joining her in Dubai in the evening," Nahta quoted the film producer as saying in the blog.
"Janhvi had seconded my idea of going to Dubai because she was scared, her mom, not used to being alone, would misplace her passport or some important document if she was alone," he further told Nahta. Boney recounted that in the last 24 years, he and Sridevi had not travelled together abroad only on two occasions. "Although I didn't accompany her on those two trips, I made sure that my friend's wife was with her on both the occasions," he explained.
Boney added, "The Dubai stay was the first time Sridevi was alone for two days – 22nd and 23rd – in a foreign land."
After Boney had booked himself on the afternoon (3.30 p.m.) flight to Dubai on 24th, Sridevi had called him while he was sitting in the lounge area of the international airport in Bombay. Since he wanted to give her a surprise, he told his jaan that he was going to be busy in a meeting for the next few hours and that his phone might be switched off, so she shouldn't panic. He promised to call her back as soon as he was free from the meeting. The plan was to surprise her in her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Tower Hotel, the blog read.
Boney reached the hotel at around 6:20 pm, Dubai time. While he was doing his check-in formalities at the hotel and taking a duplicate key to Sridevi's room, he asked the bell boy to delay taking his bag to the room as he was too excited about catching her by complete surprise. The two hugged like teenage lovers once Boney opened the door with his duplicate key, the blog further read.
The blog further claimed that Boney then freshened up and suggested they go on a "romantic dinner". Then Sridevi, who as he said, was in "relaxation mode", went for a bath, the blog stated. "I went to the living room while Sridevi went to the master bathroom to bathe and get ready," Boney was quoted by Nahta as having said.
In the living room, Boney told Nahta that he surfed channels and was watching the South Africa-India cricket match for few minutes followed by the Pakistan Super League cricket match highlights. After about 15-20 minutes, Boney was restless as it was around 8 pm then and he feared they won't get a table in restaurants as it was a Saturday.
Nahta wrote, "Boney's impatience made him shout out to Sridevi from the living room itself. After calling out to her twice, Boney lowered the volume of the TV set. Still no reply. He then walked to the bedroom and knocked at the bathroom door and even called out to her. The unsuspecting husband, hearing the tap inside on, then called out 'jaan, jaan' still louder but got no reply, which was unusual. "He panicked and opened the door which had not been bolted from inside, nervous but yet not at all prepared for what he was going to see. The tub was full of water and Sridevi was immersed completely, from head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he reached out to her but watching her motionless, he feared the worst."
"Sridevi had drowned! Boney's world had come crashing down," the blog stated.
"Whether she first drowned and then became unconscious, or she first fell asleep or unconscious and then drowned, nobody will, perhaps, ever know. But she probably never got a chance to even struggle for a minute because had she moved her arms and legs in panic while drowning, there would be some water spilling out of the tub. But there wasn't a drop of water on the floor outside the tub area. The mystery will remain unsolved," the blog concluded.
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