"Every woman wanted to be Sridevi!" : Rani Mukerji

The muchtalkedabout Netflix docuseries The Romantics which is a tribute to the legacy of Yash Chopra amp YRF and their cultural impact on India and Indians for the past 50 years was released on Feb 14 to unanimous acclaim and loveThe national overpouring of love for Yash Chopra and YRF was evident as The Romantics became the Number 1 trending title on Netflix within 48 hours of its drop a rare feat for a documentary The docuseries pays homage to Sridevi the iconic Yash Raj Films heroine who made the entire country fall in love with her in the cult Yash Chopra romantic blockbuster ChandniThe late Yash Chopra is seen revealing why he wanted to make a pristine love story for audiences He says ldquoOur industry had reached the saturation point of violence I said okay now Irsquoll do the biggest gamble of my life whatever happens I wonrsquot make a film with formulas with calculations I will make a film which will touch my heart I started ChandnirdquoHowever the legendary Yash Choprarsquos career was at a low then having delivered some unsuccessful films So it was not easy for him to sign Sridevi who in her prime was considered bigger than the heroes of India Even though he had never worked with Sridevi Yash Chopra admitted that he was impressed by the Tamil drama Moondram Pirai that Amitabh Bachchan had shown himAnil Kapoor reveals ldquoSridevi was the top star at that time He didnrsquot know how to approach her He asked my brother Boney Kapoor to speak to her So my brother flew down to Chennai to talk to her mother It didnrsquot matter to her who Yash Chopra is who has made such great films it was just the moneyrdquoChandnirsquos success was a watershed moment for Yash Chopra amp YRFrsquos destiny and Sridevirsquos brilliance in Chandni has inspired the leading ladies of our times to follow in her footsteps to deliver pathbreaking performances on screenAlso Read Rani Mukerji on overwhelming response to Mrs Chatterjee VS Norway trailer Irsquom very humbled seeing the love pouring in from the world overRani Mukherji says ldquoLike every woman wanted to be Sridevi She was the epitome of grace beauty and performance She was just everything that a Hindi film actress needed to haverdquoAbout her memory of Sridevi as Chandni Bhumi Pednekar says ldquoOh my God She was just so fantastic and beautiful and vulnerable but she was still so womanlyrdquoEven the men were enamoured by Sridevirsquos beauty grace and acting acumen in Chandni However Hrithik Roshan who has been very close to the Chopra family reveals the mood prerelease He says ldquoIt was the premiere of Chandni Then we heard reports mixed reports that it was not doing well or some people did not like it So I remember being a part of that conversation and feeling the jittersrdquoOf course the rest is history as Chandni is regarded as one of the biggest alltime blockbusters in the history of Hindi cinemaFrom Aamir Khan to Salman Khan from Shah Rukh Khan to Ranbir Kapoor from Amitabh Bachchan to Ranveer Singh from Rani Mukerji to Hrithik Roshan from Katrina Kaif to Anushka Sharma the megastars and icons of Hindi cinema have come together and spoken about Yash Chopra and YRFrsquos contribution to Indian cinema in The RomanticsThe Romantics has been directed by Oscar amp Emmynominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra who returns to Netflix after the phenomenal success of Indian Matchmaking and the Never Have I Ever franchiseNetflix in this fourpart docuseries will also feature 35 leading personalities from the film industry who have closely worked with YRF through its 50year glorious existenceYRF is currently at an alltime high as their latest release Pathaan It is now the number one Hindi film worldwide and has become the biggest alltime blockbuster in the history of Hindi cinema with a worldwide gross collection currently at 102150 crore