Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar and Anll Kapoor in the Bollywood blockbuster Judaai (1997)

"Let me make a candid confession. I’ve always been more of a Sri-bhakt [devotee] than a Mads [Madhuri Dixit] man. At the peak of their respective careers when they were pitched against each other, Sridevi always had an edge. She was what I’d call a complete star-actress who left us with the most stunning hurrah in Judaai. A terrible film that I’ve watched countless times to see her play the money-minded harridan who ‘sells’ her husband to Urmila Matondkar. Who but Sridevi could carry of such an outrageous role with such enthusiastic élan?!"
-- Subhash K Jha (Journalist, Film Critic)

At the end of 1997, it really looked like Judaai would indeed be Sridevi's last film - she went on to take an epic 14 year break after the theatrical release of the film - which was a major hit at the box-office; talk about going out with a bang! With a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress, she left with a memorable mega hit, praised by many critics (in an essentially flawed film and premise) for her stellar performance. Domestic bliss, baby Janhvi took Sridevi away from a film set - for the first time in 30 years! From age four to 34, Sridevi spent a near-lifetime on film sets without taking a break. See her epic filmography, she was an "acting machine" (as director Mahesh Bhatt once said of her), who churned out a dozen films a year during the peak of her productivity. 

In Judaai, Sridevi yet again made the unbelievable, believable.  Urmila, hot off the success of Rangeela, looked ultra glam but when it comes to scene stealing, she was no match for the mighty Sridevi. In essence, Urmila was decorative in the movie; looking gorgeous in the songs, super sexy in the chart-topping numbers in Manish Malhotra designer gear (who also did the costumes for Sridevi). 

Anil Kapoor was... there. As a foil to the actresses, he was fine, but didn't have the material to stand out between the leading ladies, who perhaps had a competitive edge over the leading man - both of whom were nominated for awards, he wasn't. Kapoor famously said he only did the film as it was produced by his brother Boney Kapoor, under their father's banner.  

It was a home production for the Kapoors - and as the seventh highest grossing film of 1997, they raked it in where it counts; at the bank!  

Released on 28 February 1997. 

More images of Sridevi's last hit (er... lets try and forget the incomplete, ill-dubbed Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin that somehow came out). Not without its flaws, Sridevi gave a fab and fun performance.

Bollywood star Urmila Matondkar talks about working with Sridevi

On reflection, Indian actress and sex symbol Urmila says, "In Judaai, Sridevi treated me like any senior professional treats a junior professional and we discussed the weather. She was sweet." 

-- Filmfare, May, 1997.

Urmila, "Sridevi is a heroine who wasn't born with a silver spoon, and she made it in an industry where it is very difficult to come up. She is the last big heroine we have, and she sustained her position for quite some time. I think of her only as the Sridevi who started with Julie and who's come a long way." 

-- Stardust, April, 1997

Urmila, "I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes that I did with Sridevi in Judaai. She is such a complete actress and I learned so much from her. Actually, I am an admirer of Sridevi and her work."

-- Rediff

JUDAAI (1997): Analysis

The Telugu original, Shubhalagnam was a super-hit. Yet, no actor wanted to do the Hindi remake. Imagine being sold by your wife to another woman for Rs 2 crore! Even Anil Kapoor admitted he was distinctly uncomfortable with this “different” role but was coaxed into doing it by his father, the film’s producer Surinder Kapoor. The film brought him back into the reckoning and was also a surprise comeback for the new mama Sridevi. It was rangeeli Urmila’s second big grosser in a sober, sacrificing and saree-clad role.

Sold for Rs 1.25 crore per major territory, this unorthodox ladies film was a slow starter. But collections remained steady at a modest 75 per cent at a time when films getting a 100 per cent initial crashed after the first week. This was the only woman’s film of 1997 and obviously it struck a chord specially in commercial centres like Mumbai where, according to a tongue-in-cheek trade analyst, a woman would have no qualms about selling her husband for a TV, micro oven and a new-fangled dish washer. Changing your pati parmeshwar was, the liberated Indian miss would probably argue, any day better than a quick divorce. In the North, in places like Delhi and UP, the film did only average business possibly because the society there is still pretty conservative. Even in Mumbai in the more rural Thane belt the film wasn’t much of a crowd-puller. The distributor there will probably have lost a couple of lakhs on his investment but elsewhere in the city, its distributors have had an unexpected bonus. Being a remake it was not a mega hit down South but was a good earner.

Overseas, though it had an amazing run probably because Anil Kapoor is a big draw abroad and the film appealed to the NRIs there who are always attracted to a story with a difference.

This will probably be Sridevi’s last film. The lady’s announced her decision to quit show business at the end of the year.

From Screen.