We’ve all seen fans, but Sundeep Malani claims he is Sridevi’s number one fan. In fact, he has gone on to claim that the likes of Ram Gopal Varma and Karan Johar don’t even come close to his obsession with Sridevi. His love for the actress dates back to his childhood. “I can still remember it was a Tamil film, Kalyana Raman that starred Sridevi with Kamal Hassan. As dad was the manger, he took me to the film and I have watched this film umpteen number of times, since then, I got a liking towards her. And from then on, I started collecting her pictures and when her next films got released, started watching it,” he explains. From then on, his fandom only increased as he grew to become a well known south Indian director.
While his admiration for the actress cannot be matched or imitated, he has yet to meet the actress. “I had missed several chances of meeting Sridevi. There was this time, when during my school days, Sridevi used to model for Vimal Sarees and the showroom in Mangalore had invited her. I got to know about it, and was in my school. I had to bunk class to go and see Sri. But, my fate that Sridevi came and had left just 10 minutes before I reached the destination. I was a school boy then, so it was difficult for me to take any transport and reach her,” he reveals. And this is just one of the many times Sridevi escaped before Malani could see her.
He has been quizzed by a radio station on Sridevi’s birthday. “I was interviewed and they had put some rapid fire question, besides had asked the listeners to ask me anything about Sridevi, and at the end of the show, I won by answering all and the title: Sridevi ka Sabse Bada Fan!”
Malani hopes to make a documentary film on his favorite actress that will highlight the best of Sridevi and her journey through films. “I was, I am and I will be the only biggest Sridevi fan and that too No. 1 Sridevi fan in this entire universe,” he claims.
