Bollywood has always run on three things: box office numbers, chiffon sarees in Switzerland, and dramatic rumours. Only a few stories fit that formula better than the whispered ‘secret marriage’ of Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi.
By the mid-1980s, Mithun was the disco king of Hindi cinema and Sridevi was rapidly becoming the most magnetic woman on screen. Put them together in films like Jaag Utha Insaan, Waqt Ki Awaz and Guru, and the industry gossip circuit practically combusted. Reports claimed the two fell deeply in love during this period and allegedly went through a private marriage ceremony around 1985, despite Mithun already being married to Yogeeta Bali.
What made the rumour believable was the timing and Bollywood’s very public history of complicated relationships. The 1980s industry had already seen headline-grabbing second marriages involving stars like Dharmendra and Hema Malini. So the idea of another secret union did not seem impossible.
According to long-circulating reports, Yogeeta Bali was devastated after hearing of Mithun’s closeness with Sridevi. There were stories claiming she even attempted suicide during this time. Mithun, meanwhile, reportedly refused to leave his family. The superstar was torn between forbidden love and loyalty to his wife.
Industry lore claimed Mithun then became insecure about Sridevi’s growing friendship with Boney Kapoor. And just to reassure him that nothing romantic was happening, Sridevi supposedly tied a rakhi to Boney. The irony is crazy because Sridevi would later marry Boney Kapoor in 1996.
But amidst all this, neither Mithun nor Sridevi ever denied anything that shut the story down permanently. Instead, there were evasive interviews, half-comments, emotional anecdotes from co-stars, and magazine speculation that kept mutating over the years. Actress Sujata Mehta later even recalled that the pair were 'madly in love'.
The narrative then gradually disappeared. After marrying Boney Kapoor and joining the Kapoor film dynasty, Sridevi completely changed her public persona. Mithun shielded his family life from additional scandal by staying with Yogeeta Bali. Ambiguity became more difficult to maintain in the PR-managed celebrity culture that replaced the gossip-magazine era of the 1980s and 1990s.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.