Kamal Haasan pays ode to Sridevi, recollects shared moments with her

Late legendary actor Sridevi would have turned 60 today if she were alive . A newly released book titled Sridevi The South Years delves into the early days and the remarkable rise of Sridevi in the realm of South Indian cinema. The book's foreword, penned by Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan, unveils some lesser-known dynamics between the two iconic talents.

In his writing, Kamal reflected on the days he and Sridevi spent growing up within the "celluloid cage," both starting their acting careers at incredibly young ages. Kamal was just 3.5 years old when he made his big screen debut with Kalathoor Kannamma in 1960. And Sridevi was about four-years-old when she made her first celluloid appearance as young lord Murugan in Kandhan Karunai (1967). And these raw talents were refined and transformed under the strict training of legendary filmmaker K. Balachander.

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In his foreword, Kamal has described himself as a "student leader" in the Balachander school. He recalled that Balachander would ask him to oversee the rehearsals of fellow actors, including Sridevi. "She was a humble student and a very obedient actor," Kamal wrote talking about their formative years in Tamil cinema. 

He also recounted the time when he made Sridevi weep by teasing them about all the pampering she got from her mother. In their teen years, he also took advantage of her fear of injections and used to chase her around the hospital sets with a syringe. "People who watched our films always thought that we were either lovers or wannabe lovers or a could-have-been couple. None of it, of course, was true," he wrote in the book. 

Kamal revealed that he thought of Sridevi as his family, to be precise as "his child." 

Kamal and Sridevi shared a crackling chemistry onscreen and acted in about 27 movies together, making them one of the most cherished onscreen pairs in the history of Indian cinema. Moondram Pirai, 16 Vayathinile, Varumayin Niram Sigappu, and Sigaappu Rokakk al to name a few were some of the most beloved titles in their joint filmography.