Noted trade analysts Komal Nahta said Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor had disclosed the last moments of Sridevi's death. Following are the excerpts of Komal Nahta on Boney's naration on Sridevi's last moments.
On 24th morning, I spoke to her,” recalled an emotional Boney, “when she told me, ‘Papa (that’s how she addressed Boney), I’m missing you.’ I also told her that I was missing her a lot. But I didn’t tell her that I would be joining her in Dubai in the evening. Janhvi had seconded my idea of going to Dubai because she was scared, her mom, not used to being alone, would misplace her passport or some important document if she was alone.” Boney recounted that there had been only two occasions in the last 24 years when they had not travelled together abroad – when Sridevi had travelled alone on two brief foreign trips – one to New Jersey and the other to Vancouver – for two appearances. “Although I didn’t accompany her on those two trips, I made sure that my friend’s wife was with her on both the occasions,” explained the caring and protective husband as he tried to fight back tears. “The Dubai stay was the first time Sridevi was alone for two days – 22nd and 23rd – in a foreign land,” he sighed.
After Boney had booked himself on the afternoon (3.30 p.m.) flight to Dubai on 24th, Sridevi had called him while he was sitting in the lounge area of the international airport in Bombay. Since he wanted to give her a surprise, he told his jaan that he was going to be busy in a meeting for the next few hours and that his phone might be switched off, so she shouldn’t panic. He promised to call her back as soon as he was free from the meeting. The plan was to surprise her in her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Tower Hotel. Boney reached the Dubai hotel at around 6.20 p.m., Dubai time, soon after landing in Dubai. While he was doing his check-in formalities at the hotel and taking a duplicate key to Sridevi’s room, he asked the bell boy to delay taking his bag to the room as he was too excited about catching her by complete surprise. The two hugged like teenage lovers once Boney opened the door with his duplicate key. “But she told me, she had a hunch that I would come to Dubai to fetch her,” Boney recalled amidst sobs. The couple hugged, kissed and chatted for almost half an hour.
Boney then got up to freshen up. Once out of the bathroom, he suggested, the two go for a romantic dinner. He requested Sridevi to postpone the shopping to the following day (Sunday). The return tickets would once again have to be changed as the couple decided to head to India on 25th night. They reasoned that they’d have enough time to shop on 25th through the day. That’s when Sridevi, who was still in relaxation mode, decided to go for a bath and get ready for the romantic dinner! Said Boney, “I went to the living room while Sridevi went to the master bathroom to bathe and get ready.” In the living room, Boney surfed channels to watch the South Africa-India cricket match but after spending around four or five minutes doing that, he chanced upon another channel which was showing the Pakistan Super League cricket match highlights. He watched the match for around 15-20 minutes but was beginning to get restless thereafter because he was aware that being a Saturday, there would be a rush in the restaurants. It was around 8 p.m. then.
Boney’s impatience made him shout out to Sridevi from the living room itself. After calling out to her twice, Boney lowered the volume of the TV set. Still no reply. He then walked to the bedroom and knocked at the bathroom door and even called out to her. The unsuspecting husband, hearing the tap inside on, then called out “Jaan, Jaan” still louder but got no reply, which was unusual. He panicked and opened the door which had not been bolted from inside, nervous but yet not at all prepared for what he was going to see. The tub was full of water and Sridevi was immersed completely, from head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he reached out to her but watching her motionless, he feared the worst.
Sridevi had drowned! Boney’s world had come crashing down. He himself was drowned in sorrow and misery as the centre of his world had passed on to another world. Boney’s sweet surprise to Sridevi just two hours back had given way to the worst shock of Boney’s life because it all happened so suddenly. Sridevi, who had gone to get ready for her dinner date with hubby Boney, had, by an unfortunate turn of events, actually and unwittingly started to get ready for her final journey.