Pakistani actor Sajal Aly: I really miss Sridevi ji and working in Bollywood films

Pakistani actor Sajal Aly talks about working with Sridevi on the film, Mom, and desire to work in India again

Pakistani actor Sajal Aly has a special connection with Bollywood ever since she worked with late actor Sridevi on her first Hindi film, Mom (2017). And she wonders when the boundaries separating artistes from the film world will wipe off.

Sajal Aly worked with Sridevi in the film, Mom

“I would love to work in India again. But I don’t know when. Let’s see what the future has in store for me? I have been talking about this for years and years. I don’t think politics should come between art and the artist. And I hope yeh deewar jo India aur Pakistan ke beech mein hai khatam ho,” Aly says.

The actor might be away from Hindi film industry, but found a way to continue her relationship. She did so by working with Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and actor Shabana Azmi on her first international film, What’s Love Got to Do with It?, which puts spotlight on cross-cultural conflicts through the concept of arranged marriage in the age of Tinder.

“It was a dream come true moment for me…Unmein ek apnaniyat hai, jismein bahut sukon hai,” Aly tells us.

For her, Bollywood memories are directly linked to the memories of working with Sridevi on the film.

“I was very close to Sridevi ji. She left us very soon unfortunately. I have never really talked about her and my relationship. But I have to say that it is really unfortunate that we as artists get stuck in the tensions between both the countries. Humara kaam suffer karta hai. When I worked in Bollywood, I got a lot of love and respect, which is close to my heart till date,” says the actor, who has a close bond with Janhvi Kapoor now.

Talking about her bond with Sridevi, Aly says, “I feel mera ek ghar India mein hona chaiyeh because she was so close to me”.

“She was like my mother. It was not just a work relationship that we had. It was something more than that. She met my mother when she came to India when I was shooting Mom. Before the release of the film, my mother left us and then after a few months, Srideviji really left us. It was a very emotional bond, We used to talk on phone for hours, where she used to guide me just like her daughter. I really miss her,” she ends.