Before her death, Sridevi collapsed because of a no-salt diet, says husband Boney Kapoor

Producer Boney Kapoor has finally opened up about his wife, superstar Sridevi's tragic demise. Sridevi died in her hotel room in Dubai due to accidental drowning, on February 24, 2018. She was 54. Now, in an interview with The New Indian, Boney Kapoor mentioned that Sridevi used to follow a strict diet. Boney revealed, how Sridevi used to experience blackouts due to her no-salt diet. Even though the doctor had advised Sridevi to avoid a severe low-salt diet due to her low blood pressure, the actress, at the time of her death, was swearing by one of the same routines. Boney Kapoor said, “Our family physician always used to tell Sri (Sridevi) whenever you diet, because whenever she used to start a new film, she used to want to look good because the fact is what you are in real life, on–screen especially for cinemascope you will look broader. She wanted to make sure that she is chiselled, in good shape so that on screen she also looks like it.” 

He continued, “Since the time she was married to me, she has had blackouts on a couple of occasions. The doctor kept on telling her that you have a low bp issue, don't stick to a severe diet where you avoid salt. Because most of the females believe that salt creates water retention that's why your face is puffy. That  is one reason why Sri used to avoid salt. We used to tell her that even if you are having some salad, just sprinkle some salt on it.” Boney Kapoor also recalled his conversation with south superstar Nagarjuna after Sridevi's death. He said, “Later, when she passed away Nagarjuna had come home to offer his condolences. He told me that during one of his shootings, she was again on a crash diet and how she fell in the bathroom and broke her teeth. I knew she had broken teeth and had those artificial casps.”“Since I got married to her I knew she has this tendency of going on a strict diet, I used to push my daughters to tell her that she must have some salt. I used to push her myself. Whenever we used to go out for dinner, she used to say, ‘food with no salt.' Unfortunately, she didn't take this seriously, and he also thought maybe it can't be this serious until the incident happened,” Boney Kapoor finished off.

Cited as the "first female superstar" of Indian cinema, she was the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards, including a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, and three Filmfare Awards South. Sridevi's career spanned over 50 years in a wide range of genres. She was known for her reticent and introverted off-screen personality, but headstrong and outspoken on-screen persona, often playing strong-willed women.In 2013, Sridevi was honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour.She was voted "India's Greatest Actress in 100 Years" in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted in 2013