Before there was Hollywood Reporter India, there was... Filmy Reporter!

The Hindi tabloid from the 80s is classic 80s film journalism; no quotes, gossip and innuendo, garish colours of all the top stars slapped together like a high school magazine cover with cutouts and square collages. But they were mindless fun! 

Sridevi, Mithun, Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff - the rockin' 80s. 

Sridevi's look from a song/dance scene in Guru - magazine from 1988!
 

Rare pic: Film producer/director Subash Ghai with Sridevi and Jackie Shroff on the sets of Karma

Rare pic: Film producer/director Subash Ghai with Sridevi and Jackie Shroff on the sets of Karma in the early1980s in Bollywood!  

Th AI colour correction is a bit off - Sridevi's outfit had a different design and shade of pink, I don't know why it decided to add jewellery and accessories that were not in the original image, but the attempts to fix vintage photographs by AI is getting better with time. In the past, when AI tried to restore images, colour correct, it would be wildly off. For example, below, this image of Sridevi with director Shekhar Kapor on the sets of Joshilay back in 1984 is so wildly off the mark, it created a new person, instead of Sridevi! 

Like film journalism in the 1980s across India, let's take the early days of image distortions online with a pinch of salt. It has a semblance of truth, but not in entirety. 

Above: The real and the fake! Will new gen know the difference? 

Jackie Shroff remembers Sridevi on her birth anniversary

Jackie Shroff remembers Sridevi on her birth anniversary

One of her infrequent co-stars but all around legend, Jackie Shroff's tribute is sweet. 

Superstars lineup: Jackie Shroff, Sridevi, Anil Kapoor

 

A variation of this became G magazine's cover. 

On the sets of the ill-fated Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja. 

Rare portrait: Sridevi with Jackie Shroff for Aura magazine: 1991

Outtakes from a cover shoot for the (now defunct) Aura magazine, Sridevi and Jackie Shroff pose for their favourite photographer Rakesh Shreshta. More rare pics from this cover shoot are in the archive here.

 

Sridevi and Jackie Shroff in Jawab Hum Denge

To be confirmed as I'm not sure about the exact date of release, but the net says Sridevi-Jackie Shroff starrer Jawab Hum Denge was released on 6 Feb, 1987. 

Not a particularly great film, but the movie had decent songs and Sridevi and Jackie Shroff were an unusual pair that looked good together. The movie had a lovely ghazal in it too. 
 

Sridevi and Jackie Shroff on the sets of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja

Born on February 1, 1957, Jackie Shroff, Sridevi's infrequent co-star, turns another year older today. 

All of 68, Jackie Shroff is still one of the most stylish men in Mumbai. We love his rags to riches then to near-rags and back to riches life story. He's also famously one of the kindest men in the world. 

Seen here on the sets of Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja in the early 1990s with Sridevi! 

Jackie Shroff and Sridevi in Pathar ke Insan

Released on 15 January 1990, Pathar ke Insan was not a great film, though Sridevi acted well and looked incredible in the movie. 

Marking the 25th year of the film's release. 
 

Rekha, Sridevi and Jackie Shroff in a Tamil tabloid

 Rekha, Sridevi and Jackie Shroff in a Tamil tabloid

Rare (blurry) stills of Sridevi and the cast of Karma on set:

Released in the summer of 1986, Karma was easily the biggest film of the year. Even during production Subash Ghai, the self-anointed showman of Bollywood, had assembled an all-star cast led by the greats Dilip Kumar and Nutan, to the young guns Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah, the leading ladies Sridevi and Poonam Dhillon, supported by stalwarts like Dara Singh, Anupam Kher, Shakti Kapoor, Tom Alter and the ever-present Bindu. 

These rare stills from the set show how much fun they had in the 1980s in Bollywood. All stars in the making, many who became legends. 

Stills of Sridevi and the cast and crew of Karma

Rare pic: Sridevi and Jackie Shroff in Karma (1986)

Released on August 8, Karma was easily the biggest hit of 1986.

Celebrating 38 years of this multi-starcast film today. 

We have 100s of pics in the archive here. 
 

Rare Pic: Sridevi, Jaya Prada and Jackie Shroff in Main Tera Dushman (1989)

Sridevi, Jaya Prada and Jackie Shroff in Main Tera Dushman (1989)

Rare still of the three superstars of the 1980s... 
 

Jackie Shroff, Sridevi, Anil Kapoor strike a pose on the set of Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja

Jackie Shroff, Sridevi, Anil Kapoor strike a pose on the set of Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja 
 

Jackie Shroff, Sridevi and Nana Patekar in the poster of Yugpurush: Rare publicity shots

Jackie Shroff, Sridevi and Nana Patekar in the poster of Yugpurush, shot by Rakesh Shreshta. Rare find!

The only film that would have Sridevi and Nana Patekar together, Sridevi opted out of the film after its announcement. 

Sridevi addressed the issue in several interviews, eg in Stardust July 1996;

However, she obviously wasn't motivated enough by her role in Yugpurush. A dream role in a prestigious film opposite Nana Patekar and Jackie Shroff. A move that has triggered a debate on how she doesn't take her career seriously any more.

"The character I was supposed to play in Yugpurush," she explained "Is a very good character. There was only one thorn in the flesh, I was supposed to be playing a prostitute. Somewhere I think I have developed a mental block against playing a prostitute. I get uncomfortable and so I guess I won't be able to do full justice to the character."

That isn't all. In her apathy towards the character Sri has definitely ruffled a few feathers. Nana for one is reportedly cut up with her refusal, since he was very keen to work with her. "Why are you mentioning only his side of the story?" she goes on like a petulant child, "Even I wanted to work with him. I think he is a very convincing actor, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to work with him in Yugpurush, but I am hoping to work with him in the near future."

In spite of this mutual respect, it is rather strange that she didn't even acknowledge him when they came face to face, "Aisa to kuch nahin (Nothing like that). I am not suffering from myopia or any other eye sight problem. The moment I saw him, I wished him and he also wished me. And he asked about my mom's health, that was a gesture that really touched me. It was as if he relating to me as a person not just as an actress."

Filmfare, May 1996:

So why did you opt out of Yugpurush?

Sridevi: There you go again. Let me just say I wasn’t too happy with my role. So I spoke to the producer and we decided to part.

But you did sign Yugpurush after being told about your role.

Sridevi: Yes, I did. But I wasn’t completely convinced about the role…it’s the role of a streetwalker. I have a mental block about playing a... err… prostitute. I know, as an actress, one must try and do as many different roles as possible… phir bhi [but still], I have a block about this. I know actresses have won National Awards by playing such a role…still I couldn’t get myself to do it.

Is it because Nana Patekar and Boney Kapoor don’t get along?

Sridevi: Why drag poor Boneyji into all this?

Adding to the conversation, Manisha Koirala who went on to take over the role, spoke about the musical chairs of the film's casting; 

MOVIE magazine: What do you have to say about Sridevi refusing Yugpurush (which you are doing now because she didn’t want to play a prostitute?

Manisha Koirala: I feel sad because I feel she has missed the role of a lifetime. When I am given the scenes to read, I feel I could die for these scenes. Believe me, That an argument with my director and my co-stars I say so much scope in that role. The argument was a result of my passion. Now I think What if she’d done it, man? She could have done wonders. She’s one of our best actresses. If only she’d got out of her beliefs and not got caught in the glamorous trap.

--Manisha Koirala in MOVIE Magazine, 1996

Well, despite all the talk and media buzz, the film barely broke even and the movie was no great shakes that impressed neither the audience nor the critics. Oh well. Que sera sera... 

• Sridevi with Nana Patekar here
• Sridevi's full interview with Filmfare in the archive here.
• Sridevi's full interview with Stardust in the archive here. 

 

Above: The photoshoot and look test Sridevi, 33, did for the film with her photographer of choice, Rakesh Shreshta. Though the film didn't work out, the images were in print for most of 1996!

Rare stills: Jackie Shroff with Sridevi on the sets of Karma: Subash Ghai directs

Rare stills: Jackie Shroff with Sridevi on the sets of Karma: Subash Ghai directs 

Sridevi and Jackie Shroff: Close Ties

Sridevi and Jackie Shroff: Close Ties 

A cute shoot the superstars did with Rakesh Shreshta and the images were published in MOVIE magazine and others. 

• More from this particular shoot in the archive here.
• More of Jackie Shroff and Sridevi together here. 
• Films with Sridevi and Jackie Shroff together here.

 

Sridevi with Jackie Shroff

Sridevi with Jackie Shroff from the film Jawab Hum Denge. 

Sridevi and Jackie Shroff: Rare still from the 1980s

Sridevi and Jackie Shroff: Rare still from the 1980s on the sets of Jawab Hum Denge (1987). The two infrequent co-stars worked together in Karma - the biggest hit of 1986, but were not able to recreate the box-office success of their first venture together. 

Rare stills of Sridevi and Jackie Shroff in Jawab Hum Denge (1987)

Rare stills of Sridevi and Jackie Shroff in Jawab Hum Denge (1987)

Jackie Shroff, Amrish Puri, ? Shatrughan Singha and Sridevi 

Sridevi as a cop on film - for the second time. 

Happy Birthday Jackie Shroff: Sridevi's least frequent costar

Jackie Shroff, 66, is six years older than Sridevi and the two worked together on film infrequently (just six movies in total - and not even together often), but they looked so damn good together in front of the camera - especially Rakesh Shreshta's who photographed them often.