Sridevi was seen puffing for breath in a famous scene from Mr. India, where she was being frightened off by a real ‘drunk’ cockroach!
Director Shekhar Kapur recently recalled in an interview with Daily Post that the production’s team was scratching their heads as they wondered how to make an insect ‘give a performance.’
After a while, a bottle of wine uncorked as a unique idea in their minds.
He recounted, “Me and cinematographer Baba Azmi, we were thinking how to get the cockroach to act? We thought, ‘Let’s get a bottle of Old Monk rum!’ ”
“We poured a little bit in front of the cockroach and thought it will drink and act,” the filmmaker laughed.
Then, the camera was set to rolling with Anil Kapoor scaring Sridevi by informing her of the cockroach’s presence on the floor.
Dashing for her own protection, she quickly jumped on the bed.
After a tense exchange between the two, Anil called a group of children who then hushed the insect away as it fluttered around in the frame.
Shehkhar added, “We actually felt like it had gotten drunk… Maybe it liked Old Monk?”
While the cockroach sadly didn’t bag any nominations home, it had really given an Oscar-worthy performance.
Mr. India was released in 1987 with many such comical scenes, including one in which Sridevi dressed as Charlie Chaplin to win a dart game at a bar full of men.
