Vikas Verma remembers his ‘Mom’ co-star Sridevi on her death anniversary: Watching her perform was magical

On Sridevi’s death anniversary today (February 24), her Mom (2017) co-star Vikas Verma fondly remembers her as a “charismatic personality both on and off-screen”. Mom was the actress’s last Hindi film in which Verma essayed the part of the antagonist.

“She was so loving and caring. It was my first day on the set and on the very same day, I had lost my father. I had lost my phone at a party and my father had passed away at 3 am and I had no idea about it. It was May 1 and we were shooting a court scene in Delhi. Everyone at home was desperately trying to reach me. I borrowed someone’s mobile phone to log in to Facebook and read my brother’s message. All I wanted to do then was to rush home for the cremation. It was such a difficult day,” he reminisces about the first day of shoot and how Sridevi consoled him.

“She said, ‘Vikas, you are really brave. I wouldn’t have been able to shoot in this situation. If you need anything, let me know, I am right here’. And she took care of me throughout the day. She would talk to me and even ate with me so that I wouldn’t feel alone. She arranged for a car for me to go back to Rajasthan. I performed the last rites and returned to the sets the following day and ma’am was even more caring. She was like the guardian I needed the most at that time,” he adds.

Each of the scenes he did with Sridevi, according to Verma, was “magical”. Watching her perform and being able to collaborate with her was a huge thing for the actor. “She appreciated me every time she felt I performed well. I wish I had got more opportunities to work with her… There’s only one Sridevi and there will always be only one like her, her talent is unmatchable. They don’t make stars like her anymore,” says an emotional Verma.

Calling those days his most cherished moments, the actor felt like he was living his dream. “I told her that I was a huge fan and that I had watched all her films… Her sudden demise was painful, shocking, and shattering to say the least. We have lost such a charismatic and legendary actor. I still can’t believe that she is gone. It feels that she is still with us. She was so giving. Imagine she had made 300 films and continues to inspire generations. I feel honoured, proud, and blessed to have got an opportunity to work with her,” he ends.