Legendary actress Sridevi's demise came as a big shock for the whole Indian film fraternity. The actress died of accidental drowning on February 24 in Dubai.

Catch had previously reported that Venugopal Reddy, who addressed himself as Sridevi's uncle stated to media that the late legendary actress lived in pain due to Boney Kapoor's financial condition. He also stated that Boney was financially going through a tough phase which was the main reason why Sridevi got back to acting in films.

"What we knew was Boney Kapoor lost a lot of money in few films and they sold Sridevi's properties to make up for the losses. And Sridevi always had that pain in her heart. Sridevi lived in pain and passed away with a lot of pain in her heart. She was not at peace. She wore a smile on her face for the world but she went through a lot inside her.

"Boney produced a film which never saw the light of the day, and they were financially going through a tough phase. Sridevi sold her properties and cleared those debts to get life back on track. And that was the main reason why Sridevi got back to acting in films," Venugopal Reddy stated in a recent interview given to one Telugu channel.

Though Srilatha (Sridevi's sister) still tight-lipped over the matter, her husband Sanjay Ramaswami has now issued a statement denying all the claims of Venugopal Reddy. He also added that the entire family is in support of Boney.

Sanjay Ramaswami's statement reads:

“I have been married to Srilatha (Sridevi's sister) for 28 years and never once have we heard of this individual Venugopal Reddy. The family is in grief and chooses to not make any comments through this painful time. There is no truth to this man's claims and the entire family is in support of Boney Kapoor and are with him through this challenging phase. Some sections of the media questioned my wife's silence and attributed all kinds of ridiculous allegations. I am sure that they have loved ones that they lost. Did they stand up on the wall and shout. We mourn in silence and do not seek any publicity and that should not be misconstrued. We are a very close knit family. Sridevi was an inspiration to all of us and all in the family loved her very much".

(With inputs from DNA)