“I still expect my phone to ring”: Manish Malhotra’s Sridevi tribute is touching

By Nichola

on April 13, 2018

Sridevi is gone but is far from forgotten. Now her good friend and designer Manish Malhotra has shared his feelings about her in a touching tribute.

For Vogue magazine April issue, Manish writes that he was in college when he first watched Himmatwala (1983), and was “instantly enamoured” her twinkling eyes and her effortless poise. Their work equation grew with Gumrah and by the time they did Judaai, Sri went from being iconic actor to dear friend. They remained in touch even during the 15-year gap when she took a break from films. “We became particularly close in the last seven years. Whether attending all my shows or being a part of my niece’s wedding, she always returned the love, loyalty and admiration I had for her,” he says.

Interestingly, despite their closeness, Manish always called her Ma’am. He believes he learnt a lot from her, whether sartorial tricks or the art of focusing on a job.

“This is the first time I’ve lost someone so close, and it feels surreal. I’d known her for 28 years. We were at a wedding together and then, out of nowhere, her sister Srilatha was handing me a silk sari for her funeral. I spoke to her the night she passed away. We talked about everything under the sun, from Janhvi’s film, how beautiful Khushi looked at the wedding to even what she had eaten earlier that day. Even now, so many days later, I still expect my phone to ring, and to hear her discuss an outfit or a project which we can work on together,” he wrote.

Manish marvels at how life has now come full circle – from making little ghaghra-cholis for Sri’s daughters, he is now working with Janhvi on her debut. He finds Janhvi very much like her mother, a bundle of talent and discipline. In fact, he was very keen that Karan Johar sign her, “because when you have good people in your life, you want them to get together.”
Recounting his times spent with Sri he muses that gossip never entered their conversations. They would talk about clothes, food, movies—all the good things in life. “She never wished ill upon anyone or remarked upon her contemporaries. When it came to her own work, she treated commercial and art-house cinema with equal grace.”

He wishes that Sridevi is remembered for being the iconic actor and exceptional person she was, with her mind and heart in the right place. And no, he has not been able to come to terms with the fact that she is no more. “Even now, so many days later, I still expect my phone to ring, and to hear her discuss an outfit or a project which we can work on together.”