“Wink girl” Priya Prakash Varrier is set to make her Bollywood debut with the upcoming film, Sridevi Bungalow, directed by Prasanth Mambully. The teaser of the film, released on 13 January, focuses on a star’s struggle with fame and loneliness.
In Sridevi Bungalow, Priya plays an actor allegedly modeled after the namesake.
The teaser appears to be a cheap tactic by the makers to grab eyeballs, and ends up disrespecting the late iconic actor’s memory. Many on social media are slamming the filmmaker for using Sridevi’s unfortunate death to sell their film.
The teaser ends with a shot of Priya in the bathtub, exploiting the circumstances surrounding Sridevi’s death. The late Bollywood icon was found dead in a bathtub in Dubai in February.
Boney Kapoor, not having taken the similarities lightly, has sued the makers of the film.
Sridevi is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses of Indian cinema in recent times. She died aged 54 in February - by accidentally drowning in a bathtub in a Dubai hotel - leaving the film industry, her family and legions of fans in a state of shock.
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