As the country mourns the loss of its favourite superstar Sridevi, there are speculations surrounding her sudden death in Dubai. mid-day has learnt that Adnan Siddiqui, Sridevi’s Pakistani co-actor from Mom (2017), was one of the first few people to reach the Jumeirah Emirates Tower after learning about her death on Saturday night.
Recounting the ill-fated night, Siddiqui told mid-day, “I got a call from a journalist at around 11 pm asking if the news about Sridevi’s death was true. I immediately called up Boney [Kapoor] saab and rushed to him.” The actor says he reached the hotel to find the investigation going on and the room cordoned off. “I got to Jumeirah Emirates at around midnight. Initially, I was not allowed to go upstairs. At the time of the investigation, only Boney saab and Dubai officials were present. So, I waited in the lobby for about an hour.”
It was only after the initial rounds of investigations were done that Siddiqui met Kapoor upstairs. “When everything was settled, Boney saab called me upstairs. He was there along with a family friend, his wife and a daughter. Boney saab was crying like a baby; he was inconsolable. I was with him until 5 am. He was under a lot of stress, so I advised him to rest, and then left.”
The Pakistani actor had developed a warm bond with Sridevi and Kapoor while he was shooting with the former for Mom. So disturbed was Sridevi about not being able to meet him after the film’s release, due to the ban on Pakistani artistes after Uri attacks, that she invited him specially for her nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding in Ras Al-Khaimah.
“When I landed in Dubai at 11 pm last week, I called up Boney saab and asked him if it made sense for me to come at that hour considering the function may have been over. He said, ‘Even if the function gets over, we will wait for you’. So I drove for two hours to Ras Al-Khaimah,” recollected Siddiqui, adding that true to her word, Sridevi was waiting for him. “I can’t believe that I met her four days ago and now, she is no more.”
It has been reported that Sridevi’s two daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor are currently staying at Anil’s house as their father Boney manages the proceedings in Dubai needed to bring the actress’ mortal remains home.