Producer Boney Kapoor once revealed how he helped increase his late wife Sridevi’s remuneration from Rs 10 lakh per film to Rs 25 lakh per film with a simple strategy.
Appearing on The Kapil Sharma Show, Boney recalled that when he approached Sridevi’s mother for Mr India, she asked for Rs 10 lakh. Instead of negotiating the amount down, Boney offered Rs 11 lakh. However, he attached a condition that would eventually play a key role in raising Sridevi’s market value.
Boney said, “We were shooting in a bungalow in Ruia Park. So I went to Chennai to meet her mother. We started talking. She didn’t know Hindi or English, but my communication skills were good enough to understand her gestures.
“She said, ‘Pappi, price Rs 10.’ By Rs 10, she meant Rs 10 lakh. I had already done some research and found out how much Sridevi had charged for her previous film. At that time, she had signed her last film for Rs 8.5 lakh. So I thought, ‘She signed for Rs 8.5 lakh; I’ll give her Rs 9 lakh.’
“When she said Rs 10 lakh, I said, ‘No.’ She froze for about 10 seconds. Then I said, ‘I’ll pay Rs 11 lakh.’ She froze again for around 15 seconds. She then said the staff charges would be separate at Rs 30,000. I replied, ‘No, I’ll pay Rs 50,000.’ So I finally gave her Rs 11 lakh.”
Boney, however, had one condition: Sridevi’s next film should be signed for Rs 15 lakh.
He recalled that her mother was surprised and asked, “Who will pay Rs 15 lakh?”
Boney then approached Yash Chopra and helped Sridevi sign Chandni for Rs 15 lakh.
“So they were happy,” he said.
When Boney later approached Sridevi’s mother for another film, he used a similar strategy.
Recalling the conversation, he said, “She told me, ‘For you, Rs 14 lakh.’ I said, ‘Why? I’ll pay Rs 16 lakh. But on one condition: her next film has to be signed for Rs 25 lakh.’
“She said, ‘Who will pay Rs 25 lakh?’ Eventually, for Khuda Gawah, she was paid Rs 25 lakh.”
Boney’s strategy not only ensured that Sridevi was paid more for his films, but also helped push up her remuneration in the wider industry.