When the late Sridevi took a subtle dig at Madhuri Dixit for 'copying' her acting style in Khalnayak

The late Sridevi was inevitably one of the most celebrated actresses in the Indian film industry and was an institution in herself. However, she also had an equally distinguished contemporary in Madhuri Dixit . But did you know? she had once taken a subtle dig at Madhuri who had allegedly imitated her acting style in her 1993 film Khalnayak alongside Sanjay Dutt.

In a 1994 interview with Stardust, Sridevi was asked about the same and was asked to comment on Madhuri Dixit getting the ‘number 1’ tag now instead of her. Sridevi had said in the interview that while it is not a big deal for an actress to copy her contemporary’s acting style, she would personally never imitate someone else’s performance. On this, the English Vinglish actress had said, “I've heard about this but to be honest, I've not seen Khalnayak. I think that is perfectly alright. She is a professional actress and I suppose that she did what her director asked her to do. She is not the only one to do it. A lot of other stars also imitate the distinct styles of prominent stars. What's the big deal if she did a take-off on me? Even mimicry artists are aping stars all the time. It is their profession. But frankly speaking, I'd never do it.”

Apart from that, the late actress had also commented on Sanjay Dutt having a severe problem with her while working with her in the 1993 movie Gumraah. On this, Sridevi had said, “See, like I said earlier, I am a person who doesn't mingle much. I admit that I didn't communicate much with Sunju but then I am like that with everybody. I didn't know him very well. Even during the making of the film, we barely spoke but for small talk. You know, I really don't know what to talk to people, I am not too friendly with. As for keeping him waiting, I didn't do it deliberately. There must have been some legitimate reasons for the same.”

Interestingly, Madhuri Dixit replaced Sridevi after her tragic demise in the film Kalank . The actress passed away on February 24, 2018, owing to accidental drowning in Dubai. She is survived by her producer husband Boney Kapoor and her daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor.