Sridevi and producer-husband Boney Kapoor recently arrived to a warm response for their film’s premiere in the freezing country
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 18, 2017)

Sridevi, her producer-husband Boney Kapoor and their younger daughter Khushi were welcomed by the Indian Ambassador in Moscow Pankaj Saran as they arrived for the premiere of their last release, Mom, in the Russian capital. The gritty thriller which follows Sridevi’s mission to avenge her daughter’s rape, released in 30 theatres across Russia. And on Sunday, 400-plus Russians were screaming “Chandni… Chandni…” during interval. They continued to sing it even after the film ended.

Speaking to Mirror from Moscow, Sridevi exulted, “It was overwhelming to witness the audience’s reaction to the film. It felt like I was watching it for the first time because there was so much energy in the room.”

An equally delighted Boney added that his wife was mobbed by women who seemed to be completely in love with her. He was particularly enthused by their response to the film and one sequence in particular, where Akshaye Khanna’s cop finds a pair of glasses as a prime reason to pin Sridevi’s character as a suspect when she fishes out a similar pair from her handbag, puts them on. “They were cheering and hooting during that scene,” said Boney, who added that while the Kapoors love to explore new places on their trips, the plan this time is to return home as it’s freezing in Russia.

He recalls how his iconic production, the Shekhar Kapur-directed Mr India had released in Russia exactly 30 years ago and Bollywood’s bond with Moscow remains as strong as ever. “It’s freezing right now, too cold to walk, but the locals are celebrating our cinema. While the influx of Hindi films had slowed down in the last few years, we seem to be back with a bang. This is the time for an Indo-Russian collaboration,” Boney asserted, confiding that he will be meeting a Russian producer on the trip.