No comparison with Sridevi’s Sadma: Anurag Basu

It’s always good news for actors when they’re compared with industry veterans. However, Priyanka Chopra is getting responses of a less flattering kind. The recently released song Aashiyan from Barfi!, has created some buzz on the web.

It’s always good news for actors when they’re compared with industry veterans. However, Priyanka Chopra is getting responses of a less flattering kind. The recently released song Aashiyan from Barfi!, has created some buzz on the web. And the actor has been bombarded with phone calls and tweets saying that her portrayal is similar to Sridevi’s role of a mentally challenged person in Sadma (1983). Priyanka’s spokesperson says, “After ‘Aashiyan’ went on air, a lot of people compared her character to Sridevi’s in Sadma. She has been getting a lot of messages to that effect.”

Director Anurag Basu explains, “People might feel so because the last film that featured a female actor in a mentally-challenged role was Sadma. But the comparisons are only on the basis of the promo. Once you see the film, everything will be clear.”

Sridevi, meanwhile, who is yet to watch the promos, insists that PC is supremely talented. “She is very versatile.Look at Kaminey (2009) and Saat Khoon Maaf(2011); she’s superb.”

However, Anurag does confess that he was nervous about how the audience would react to the promos.

“Priyanka and Ranbir are doing non-glamourous roles. I wondered how people would react,” he says. Is he aiming for the National Award with Barfi!? “It’s too early to say. We are hopeful; I’m sure we will get (awards) if no one makes a better film this year.”

Talking about filming in Kolkata, he says, “We shot on the streets around real crowds with hidden cameras. By the time people realised that Priyanka and Ranbir were there, we were off to the next location.”