Priya Prakash Varrier's Bollywood debut is marred by controversy ever since Sridevi Bungalow teaser dropped and it had uncanny resemblance with late veteran actress Sridevi's tragic death. Soon the movie caught the ire of critics for trying to cash in on the popularity of legendary actress Sridevi and all the brouhaha around her sad demise. Now it has been learnt that even Sridevi's husband and film producer Boney Kapoor is extremely unhappy with the film and its title
Deccan Chronicle reported that Boney Kapoor is repulsed by the blatant gimmicks that the makers of Sridevi Bungalow are resorting to, and is planning to take stringent legal action.
"He is disgusted by all those who have chosen to be associated with this lurid project. When he heard the film's title and saw the first look, Boney had sent a legal notice to the producer. But so far they've ignored the notice. Boney intends to take even more strict legal action, asking for a restraining order against using Sridevi's name in the title. They can make what they like - it's a free world. But they can't use that name," a source close to the producer revealed.
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Earlier this year, Boney has sent a legal notice to the makers of Sridevi Bungalow. However, director Prasanth Mambully defended his film and told Deccan Chronicle, "We received a legal notice from Mr Boney Kapoor last week. And we will face it. My film is a suspense thriller. I told him (Boney Kapoor) that Sridevi is a common name. My film's character also happens to be an actress. We will face it (the legal case)."
Last month, while interacting with the media on the sets of Sridevi Bungalow, Priya said that she was just playing a character and that the controversy was the concern of the director and producer.
"Sridevi is just the name of my character in the movie. Who would want to create such controversies? I think the curiosity surrounding the trailer is good and we have to leave it to the audience to judge if the film is based on the veteran actress Sridevi ma'am." she said to a newspaper daily.
Priya said that she was a huge fan of Sridevi and have no intention of hurting anyone.
In February 14, 2018, the nation woke to the news of Sridevi's sudden and untimely demise. Though it was initially believed that she passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest, the death certificate revealed that she died due to accidental drowning in the bathtub of her hotel room.