Making another Sridevi... Bhanupriya, Jaya Prada to Radha: Looking for a Sridevi replacement

When Sridevi started getting to be expensive, overbooked and out of station, film producers and co-stars thought to find a replacement. They made a star out of one Telugu newcomer, why not try doing it again.? So they tried with Bhanupriya (who originally was heavily styled like Sridevi was - down to her monochrome saris and glittering amrapali costumes), Radha and even Jaya Prada started doing the Sridevi-Bollywood-style dancing - as opposed to her classically trained ones. 

None could recreate the performance - be it at the box-office or acting! Bhanupriya retreated and appeared in amazing Tamil and Telugu films. Jaya Prada made her own niche, Radha came and went and barely anyone noticed in the North. She's made a resurgence on social media but can her contribution to Indian cinema be compared to Sridevi?! I'm not sure. 

Sridevi was an original - none like her in the world, let alone in India. How a child artist transitioned to a teenage sensation, to a pan-Indian leading lady to legend by the time she was 30... no one in the world has had a career or trajectory like Sridevi. She was a unique phenomenon} even her contemporaries, competitors, precursors and successors have to agree, there was no one like Sridevi ever before, ever again.

 

Sridevi and Jaya Prada : True rivals

From the moment Sridevi stepped into Himmatwala, a Hindi remake of a Jaya Prada film, it was on. The most heated rivalry between two Telugu actresses. 

When Sridevi lowered his staggering remuneration to work in Jaag Utha Insan with Jaya Prada's mentor K Vishwanath (the legendary filmmaker), the damage was beyond repair, Jaya Prada was working in Sharaabi - which turned out to be a blockbuster while Jaag Utha Insan flopped at the box-office. It was a constant sport of upmanship that eventually Sridevi won. Queen of the box-office, top billing, awards, double roles, title roles, highest of salaries for a leading lady, the ability to pick and choose her directors and co-stars, the hand that rocked the box-office, rocked the cine-world. 

Jaya Prada worked in more films with Amitabh Bachchan and initially had one hit song after another, while acting in major titles. However, one doesn't remember a leading lady in a Big B film - they were merely decorative (with exceptions of course!)... a lesson Sri learned quickly. In the wild wild west of Bollywood in the 1980s, somehow Sridevi picked better projects that bolstered her stunning career.  

Despite all the machinations behind the scenes by Jaya Prada's strategic brother, fate favoured Sridevi in the 1980s. The undisputed Number One star. 

Sridevi : Jaya Prada: Rajkamal Sari advert from the early 1980s

 

Sridevi : Jaya Prada: Rajkamal Sari advert from the early 1980s

Early 1980s sari ad with Sridevi and.. Jaya Prada! Competitors on all fronts

A sari ad featuring Sridevi and Jaya Prada - shot separately obviously - from the early 1980s. 

Both were fighting for roles, films, directors, co-stars, magazine covers, hit songs, ads and even saris apparently. 

Well, Sridevi swanned by in elegant ease. She was much taller, had natural model-esque grace and as famed photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha said, could carry western or traditional Indian attire with relentless grace - unlike many of her contemporaries. 

A model actress if ever tehre was one... 
 

Maqsad: The all-star cast: Sridevi, Rajesh Khanna, Jaya Prada and Jaya Prada

 

Released on May 4, 1984, Maqsad (The Motive) is an action-drama film directed by K. Bapaiah and produced by D. Rama Naidu (Suresh Productions), Remake of the 1983 Telugu film Mundadugu.

Shot in less than 40 days, out of the Madras movie factory, the remake was an instant hit. Today, it's only remembered for Sridevi and Jaya Prada's epic dance off. While watching Dola re dola re, in Devdas, you don't know who to look at - Aishwarya Rai or Madhuri Dixit; its deja vu for us. While watching the song and dance routine of Naagraja, you don't know who to look at - the learned dancer Jaya Prada, or the naturally gifted Sridevi. Both aced it Jaya Prada's poise and perfection, Sridevi's grace and fluid movements. Sridevi towered over short Jaya, but Jaya Prada's face was flawless back then... 

The 90s in Bollywood with Madhuri Dixit, Jaya Prada, Rekha and Sridevi

Now this collage of Indian actresses may be trending... but we'll need to fact check before confirming the numbers. According to Muvyz, Madhuri Dixit appeared in 41 films between 1990 and 1999, Jaya Prada in 29, Rekha in 19 and Sridevi in 18. 

Well, context is key, Sridevi stopped working in film early 1997 so her roster of films is lower. For the first time in her career, in 1995, Sridevi had NO film releases. As her mother Rajeshwari Ayappan was critically ill (and she tragically passed away early 1996), Sridevi stayed by her mother during her final days and was not working in movies for a spell. Post marriage and motherhood she stopped acting. As did Madhuri Dixit - who also zoomed off to the US post marriage to Dr. Nene.  

Funny how Jaya Prada and Rekha appeared in so many films in the 90s... can barely remember five! And sadly of those, the awful Madam X, Geetanjali, Mujhe Meri Biwi se Bachao come to mind... none of which did justice to the ravishing Rekha, last of the Bollywood golden divas. 

Jaya Prada's filmography in the 90s is a wide array of flops and missteps. Such a talent and beauty she was... but wasted in blah movies like Khal-Naayika, Jeevan Yudh and Paapi Devta. Her last two hit films in Hindi were as far back as 1990 - and that too other stars got the credit for it; Aaj ka Arjun was an Amitabh Bachchan vehicle all the way (though Jaya had the song Gori hai kaliyaan) and Thandedaar which the young couple Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit (and their Tamma Tamma) made news. Do you even remember Jaya Prada in Thanedaar?! 

Of course, a tally of film releases is no reflection of talent. Just hard work and output. 

As Bollywood got a bit more structure and corporatisation, the number of films stars appeared in have drastically released. Otherwise, particularly in the 1980s, actors appearing in a dozen films in a year, churning out output in the Bollywood factory. 

80s superstars line up; Jaya Prada, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi

80s superstars line up; Jaya Prada, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi

Outside the sets of the hit film Maqsad. A movie with little to speak of other than it is the usual 80s masala potboiler. The only thing worth revisiting is the epic dance off between the famous feuding Telugu superstars, Jaya Prada and Sridevi. 

We have a hundred pics from the set in the archive - scroll away. 
 

Tohfa: Biggest hit of 1984! Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada arrive in 80s style!

 

Above: The cast and crew of Tohfa line up at the diamond jubilee celebrations; from L to R: Bappi Lahiri (the film's music director), Shakti Kapoor, ?, Jaya Prada, film producer D. Ramandaidu, Sridevi, Rajiv Kapoor, Jeetendra, K Raghavendra Rao and comedian, the legendary Asrani.  

A runaway success, the movie was the biggest hit of 1984. For the glamorous celebration of the Bollywood blockbuster, Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada arrived all glam'd up! Silver jubilee functions were the norm in the era (ie a film celebrating a long, enduring run of 25 weeks!). Well, Tohfa was still running strong 60 weeks in, so the producers threw a lavish party and invited the Hindi film industry. 

Producer D. Ramanaidu and director K. Raghavendra Rao were beaming ear to ear as their modest budget film ran for over 25 weeks and was unbeatable at the box-office despite a jam packed year that included Amitabh Bachchan's Sharaabi and Inquilaab, Dilip Kumar and Yash Chopra's Mashaal and a slew of Rajesh Khanna films. To celebrate the silver jubilee, producer D. Rama Naidu hosted a lavish party at Adyar Gate Hotel, Madras, on April 14, 1985.

More images are in the archive of course! 

TBT: January 1984: Cine Blitz: Jaya Prada, "Sridevi is NOT my friend."

 Cine Blitz excerpt from January 1984, Jaya Prada's cover story.

Are you trying to prove that what Sridevi can do, you can do better? "Not like that. There is no competition. People are enjoying it. It's accepted." But that does not answer the question... are you willing to compromise for the box-office? "I have not worn a bikini or short pants." Wish one could explain to Jaya Prada that her scenes from the 'oui amma, oui amma' song were obnoxious, crude, vulgar. And it's not necessary that you have to wear a bikini to be vulgar.

Jaya Prada, however, was convinced that, "I think I am better when I play characters. Serious and homely roles. Soft, emotional roles. But I can wear a dress, like a midi. I don't do dancing singing all the time because it does not suit me." 

We moved on to her only rival, for the No. 1 position - Sridevi. Is she more successful because besides being talented, she also makes an effort to cultivate her heroes? 

Jaya Prada recently did an interview with tears in her eyes stating how much she missed Sridevi. In her Cine Blitz cover story, she could not have been more blunt about what she and her family thought of Sri. Just saying... 

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Half real, half fake: Sridevi and Jaya Prada's pic

Fake pic of Jaya Prada and Sridevi above. The real pic below.

Someone asked online who died and made you the Sridevi police?! Said in jest (with a bite), obviously we have no issues with any other Sridevi fans and encourage all and more - but we do take issue with false reports, features, newsbytes, and images. Perpetuating falsehoods in film magazines have been rampant since the days of Mumbai's prolific tabloids. No fact checking, no verification, speculative gossip published as the gospel truth. 

Fake images that are proliferating now are dreadful. The simplest of minds cannot fathom why its a blight, tarnishing the great Sridevi. A little critical thinking, the importance of truth... Its so basic. 

Fake images tarnish the celebrity--there are equal, if not more fake pics of all the Khans, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, the Bachchans entirely in fact--and diminish their authenticity. Fan fic may seem like flattery, but fake pics, false narratives in fact do the opposite, they spread false impressions of very real superstars. 

Rajesh Khanna and his leading ladies; Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Padmini Kolhapure

Rajesh Khanna and his leading ladies; Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Padmini Kolhapure 

From the film Naya Kadam, one of the big blockbusters of 1984.  

Released on 5 October 1984 

Rare film posters of Hindi film Majaal: Sridevi, Jaya Prada and Jeetendra

Rare film posters of Hindi film Majaal: Sridevi, Jaya Prada and Jeetendra fight for top billing! Produced by Jaya Prada's husband, was a surprise that Sridevi agreed to work in the film considering this was the peak of the rivalry between the two--in fact, it was brought up in the press;

Stardust: Dear Sridevi, Your rivalry with Jaya Prada, is really too much. Despite her efforts to make up with you, you still resent her and continue to hate her. I believe that you stretched your ego clashes so far that you sulked and fought for top billing for the film Majaal in which you are a co-star with Jaya Prada. Isn't it foolish and downright petty for a top star like you to stoop so low and fuel a cold war? 

Jivraj Verma. Poona 

Sridevi: "Yes, I'm aware of the cold war between Jaya Prada and me, because people have been going on and on about it. The world has been right in thinking that Jaya Prada and I are not friends, because I am in the industry to work and not to socialise. Once the camera is switched off, I acknowledge no other presences, but mine. But please, I don't hate her, because if I were to sit hating a person it would mean attaching too much importance and Jaya Prada is certainly not worth it. Contrary to public opinion, Sridevi doesn't have to fight for top billing, she gets it, because the audience knows that she deserves higher billing than Jaya Prada." 

-- March 1987, Stardust

Either way, movie came out fine. Sridevi's role wasn't cut or Jaya's role wasn't extended to make her look better. Film was shot exactly as intended. BTW a rather mediocre film with rather forgettable songs (or memorable for all the wrong reasons!). 

Sridevi with Jaya Prada in Aulad (1987)

Sridevi with Jaya Prada in Aulad (1987)

Released 38 years ago on 17 April 1987, a runaway hit for a soap operatic film, before soap operas took over in India.   

 

Jaya Prada turns 63: Arch rival who finally ate humble pie

Jaya Prada is 63 today. A long history of tu-tu-main-main we've recorded here in the past. In the early 1980s, hard to believe, but I was a bigger fan of Jaya Prada than Sridevi. Was obessessed with the film and songs of Sharaabi and Jaya Prada was dazzling in the movie, then her performance in Sanjog, Sargam and Saagar Sangamam proved she could act while looking like a dream, and she's always been a classically trained dancer of note. But somewhere she hit a ceiling... while Sridevi came and started shattering those glass ceilings. 

You became a Sridevi fan by sheer force of her dominance at the boxoffice and pure range. It was meant to be a photo-finish between Sridevi vs the world of newcomers, but Sridevi proved she was in a league of her own. 

Sridevi with Jaya Prada over the years: Reel sisters, Real Rivals

Sridevi with Jaya Prada over the years: Reel sisters, Real Rivals 

The media and I have written too often about their feud to repeat it again but if you know, you know! The almost admission of mea culpa after Sridevi's demise bordered on the sincere, but her re-writing history we will not patronise. The actress (and her brother) pulled strings to defame Sridevi, block her movies in theatres and took clear pot-shots when they knew media-shy Sridevi would not retaliate. The folly of youth... at least both tried to make amends by the end.

An iconic beauty and dancer of Indian cinema, the actress turns 63 today. 

 

Jaya Prada: Turning a Blind Eye to Sridevi's Superstardom

Found the above two pics so amusing, Jaya's eyes shut in every shot. Jaya Prada: Turning a Blind Eye to Sridevi's Superstardom! 

She can try to rewrite history as much as she likes but we recall all the things she (and her brother said) about Sridevi. Well, she finally made up with Sridevi in her later years but we never forget. 

They really were great actresses, rarely did the audience know what went on behind the scenes till years later! 

The Age of Innocence: Bollywood's leading ladies and their plats: Sridevi, Juhi Chawla to Jaya Prada

The Age of Innocence: Bollywood's leading ladies and their plats: Sridevi, Juhi Chawla, Tina Munim, Poonam Dhillon, Hema Malini and Jaya Prada

In the age of IMDB and Wikipedia, today, every actress' date of birth and age is public knowledge. Until the turn of the century, no actress ever admitted their real age in print! For decades, you'd have to guess the age of Rekha, Jaya or Sridevi based on when their films were roughly released. Every figure and number was up for speculation. 

Anytime a lady was seen as being mature, they'd suddenly doll up in plats and baby pink colours to infuse a modicum of youthful zest on their screen personas. There was a stage when any leading lady would never want to portray the role of 'mother'  as they'd be bracketed as older - no matter how good the role was. 

In First Wive's Club, Goldie Hawn famously said, "There are three stages to an actress in Hollywood; Babe, District Attorney, Driving Miss Daisy!" 

In Bollywood, "Its college girl, Bhabhi, Mother to your Own Co-star of five years ago!" 

Hema Malini, Raakhee, Mousmi Chatterjee et al fell into that trap. Playing the mother role to stars who were either similar age or even older! Aging women out is common till date. 

Bollywood is that living contradiction; the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

 

Jaya Prada, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi

On the sets of Maqsad, Jaya Prada, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi. 

Funnily enough, Sridevi had an ambivalent relationship with both - but it didn't translate on screen. 

Feud: Sridevi vs Jaya Prada: Hindi tabloid headlines!

Feud: Sridevi vs Jaya Prada: Hindi tabloid headlines. 

Jaya Prada said that she'd never reveal her body, unlike Sridevi, for fame and fortune. 

Unlike the Madhuri Dixit - Sridevi war, which was more media made than reality, the feud between the two Telugu stars was real. 

 

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...