NEW DELHI: The late Sridevi was named the Best Actress posthumously, today, for her role as a vengeful mother in the Hindi film Mom.
In the movie directed by Ravi Udyawar, Sridevi played a mother who sets out to avenge her step-daughter, essayed by Sajal Ali. The film also featured Adnan Siddiqui as Sridevi’s onscreen husband.
The legendary actor passed away in February in a Dubai hotel, leaving the film industry, her family members and legions of fans in a state of shock.
Announcing Sridevi’s name, jury head Shekhar Kapur said, “The best actress is Sridevi for Mom and I promise you it is not my relationship with her. Every morning when I came here, I would ask everyone to vote once again. I would look at all the actors, talk about them and I would say, ‘there should be not Sridevi, not Sridevi’!”
“We used to take a vote and it always came back to Sridevi. It was me who fought that it shouldn’t be Sridevi. We are all emotionally involved with Sridevi. I used to say, ‘don’t give her an award because she died, it is unfair on the other girls’. They have also worked hard for 10-12 years, they too have a career.”
Reacting to the announcement, Mom director Ravi Udayawar said, “She deserves it. I’m really happy it’s a great news for me because it was our film. She had done a fabulous job. We all are missing her now.”
In an earlier interview, Sridevi had said she was proud to be a part of a film like Mom, and the reactions it elicited.
She was especially happy that the movie had made parents more conscious about sending their children to parties and made several girls realise they need to be careful about the cars they sit in to return home late at night.
“People reacted very well and I felt good about it,” she had said.
Mom was Sri Devi’s last film before her death.
