Sridevi was the most popular actress of her time. The actress was the first choice for all the directors. However, the actress too chose her films carefully and was particular about who she worked with them.
There was one actor that Sridevi worked with only in one film, not because of any other reason but she was scared of working with him. The actor in question had left a lasting impression on the actress, whose opinion of him was dented in her memory.
Sridevi refused to work with Sanjay Dutt
As a leading actress of her time, Sridevi commanded respect from all in Bollywood. The actress had a golden touch in that any film she was in, would naturally be a hit. Thanks to this she never faced a dearth in offers for different films. But, she didn't take all that came her way on.
The actress has worked with nearly every superstar but she hasn't worked repeatedly with certain actors. One of them happens to be Sanjay Dutt. With him, Sridevi has done only one film, Gumrah in 1993 which was a critical and commercial success. However, she has not worked with the actor beyond that one film.
According to a report in Manorama, the actress was actually afraid of working with Sanjay Dutt. The actor had himself disclosed the reason for his discomfort in one of his interviews. Sanjay Dutt was a huge fan of Sridevi's and would visit her sets to catch a glimpse of her. This was a bad phase in Sanjay Dutt's life when he was battling addiction. When he would visit in an inebriated state, he never managed to get a chance to meet Sridevi.
During the shooting for Himmatwala, which starred Sridevi and Jeetendra in 1983, the location was close to where coincidentally Sanjay Dutt was also shooting. When Sridevi was in her make-up room Sanjay Dutt had knocked on her door, he said in the interview that he didn't remember what he did because he was under the effects of alcohol. Sridevi had thrown him out and closed her door.
As this was the first meeting between her and Sanjay, the actress decided not to do a film with him in the future. Even though she committed to a film called Sameer with the actor, she signed it only if she wouldn't be seen in a single scene with Sanjay Dutt. The film was never released due to several reasons.
By 1993, Sanjay Dutt had become very popular and Sridevi was approached for Gumrah with Mahesh Bhatt. The actress surprisingly didn't ask for a change in the cast. However, the two didn't speak on sets as Sridevi was afraid he was under influence. Still, the film went on to do well.
