Sridevi and Jeetendra rock out in Bollywood in the 1980s

 Sridevi and Jeetendra rock out in Bollywood in the 1980s

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... 

Jeetendra and Sridevi

80s icons of Bollywood! Superstars Jeetendra and Sridevi.

As a businessman - part of 'show biz' - the most enduring, long-lasting career was that of Jeetendra. He hasn't been given his due for his contribution to Hindi cinema. The man was an industry onto himself; so many jobs, so many families, so many workers were employed because of his churning out of movies that the critics dismissed, but the masses loved. 

A film unit comprises of nearly 200 people, think of the technicians, camera crew, lighting crew, spot boys, dancers, costume designers, makeup artists, catering, fashion team, along with the cast and crew of the film - that lengthy scroll of credits at the end of a movie, all those pople got a paycheck because of the success of formulaic feel-good movies Jeetendra led. 

And some of those art-house films made on a shoe-string budget with minimal crew, that didn't change cinema as much as they would like to believe - or elevate the lives of the working people in industry. Making 12 critics happy and boring audiences, box-office figures were a stunning indictment of the art-house cinema movement. 

It's easy to be dismissive of pop art and pop culture cinema, but lets list their merits too.  It's equally easy to praise art films for the reflection on humanity, a slice of life in contemporary India...but let's also critique its slow pacing, its poor cinematography, its shoddy lighting! Was watching Bazaar the other day and the first painful minutes are just completely unnecessary shots of Smita Patil getting ready - a decent editor could have cut that to a few seconds. For the longest time was waiting for the story to kick off. And the dialogues were... well, who talks like that? Sure the film covered painful reality and subjects unspoken of, but as an entertainer, falls short. There are several documentaries that have faster pace and make the point in fewer minutes... 

Today's rant ends here. Let's give Jeetendra his due credit. In local parlance, give him his flowers now. The man is 84. His legacy is feeding new stars and new gen till date. The seeds he planted that's become this television behemoth, Balaji, runs the kitchens of many a home. 

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! 

Jeetendra and Sridevi rocked the 1980s in Bollywood: Jeetendra turns 84 today

Sridevi's frequent co-star in Hindi films, Jeetendra, turns 84 today! 

21 years her senior, they made a fab pair - and we give all credit to the fitness regime of the actor who was so careful to maintain his weight and youthful looks as a leading man in Bollywood. 

Sridevi and Jeetendra were commercial super star successes in the 1980s across the Hindi belt, with an overwhelming majority of their movies being box-office successes. 

For an entire generation in fact, their fun and frothy films with core values - good vs evil, the noble vs the villain, the moral vs the immoral -- with colourful songs and dances, predictable happy endings where the righteous win and the villains meet their natural end, was all good family fun. It wasn't erotic as it was cheeky, good clean fun and movies you can watch with your entire family. It was TV soap opera before the advent of Zee!  

It wasn't earth-shattering Oscar nominee films, but a fun time at the cinema. 

 Actor Anupam Kher flanked by the biggest stars of 1980s; Sridevi and Jeetendra. 

Jeetendra and Sridevi in Sarfarosh

Jeetendra and Sridevi in Sarfarosh (1985)

Sridevi with her costars: Rishi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Mithun, Anil Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi

Vinod Khanna and Sridevi in Garajna (shelved film). 

Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Khuda Gawah 

 Sridevi with her costars: Rishi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Mithun, Anil Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi

Sridevi and Jeetendra in the biggest hit of 1984; Tohfa

The Bollywood hit machine... Sridevi and Jeetendra in Tohfa - released on February 3, 1984, the biggest hit of the year. 

Sridevi and Jeetendra had a phenomenal start together in 1983, churning out one hit after another, by 1984, as Tohfa quickly turned into a blockbuster, it was almost a guarantee their movies did great business. 

All the tricks of the trade you hear of now, marketing strategies, having song highlights (which later morphed into 'item numbers'), corporate bookings (except it was called something else back then), toying with the media... Jeetendra created the blueprint for Bollywood and box-office success. 

'84 was also the years serious movies like Saransh, Ketan Mehta's Holi, the films that got all the good press... but the moneymakers were Jeetendra's movies with his regular roller desk of interchangeable heroines like Jaya Prada, Rekha, Reena Roy, Bhanu Priya etc. 

Left: Filmfare, January 1984 edition!

1983 has been an eventful year for star watches: Shabana Azami, Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra, Sridevi 

 

Sridevi with Jeetendra

Though he had nothing to do with the film Naaka Bandi, Sridevi's frequent co-star, Jeetendra, appeared to support his leading lady at the launch of the film. 

More in the archive here.

Jeetendra and Sridevi

The infamous pigtails. Anytime Sridevi had her pigtails and plats, a certain section of Mumbai's media went after her hammer and tongs. The press said she was trying to look younger than she was and it was childish of Sridevi to sport the hairstyle of a five-year-old. 

She didn't listen to them and worked whatever style that suited her.

"Doll"-like Sridevi worked every look. 

Seen here with her 20+ senior co-star Jeetendra, they made mostly blockbusters at the box-office, critics be damned. 

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 and her famous co-stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra

 Sridevi and her famous co-stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra

Sridevi and Jeetendra in Jaani Dost (1983)

 

Released on 27 May, 1983, Sridevi and Jeetendra in costume for the multi-star cast film Jaani Dost.

Movie had fun songs and the fashion was... well.. it was of its time! 

All of 20, young Sridevi looked like a doll in the movie. 

Jeetendra, Jaya Prada and Sridevi on trial: Majaal!

Released on 24 April 1987, its 38 years of the Hindi film Majaal. Produced by Srikanth Nahata (husband of Jaya Prada), it was a huge surprise that Sridevi agreed to do the film considering the fire and feud of the leading ladies was raging in the 1980s. The media even asked Sridevi if she was worried that they'd--her arch nemesis-do harakiri with her role. Well, despite what went on behind-the-scenes, all the stars kept it professional on set and the film, a remake of the Telugu film Sravana Sandhya (1986) which itself was remake of Tamil film Pournami Alaigal (1985), was made as intended and ran successfully. 

Watching the film now, nearly four decades later, the drama and trial is interesting to watch - Bappi Lahiri's music, the costumes and the song and dance routines however, have not aged well. 

Shobhaa Kapoor, Jeetendra and Sridevi!

Shobhaa Kapoor, Jeetendra and Sridevi! 

Sridevi and Jeetendra: 40 Years of Sarfarosh!

Sridevi, 21, and Jeetendra, 42, on the sets of Sarfarosh: TBT to early 1985. 

A rare flop among a slew of hits, the film is somewhat memorable for many Sridevi fans as it had the catchy Kishore Kumar number, "Sridevi Sridevi Sridevi Tu Nahin..." } performed on screen with no sense of irony by Jeetendra and... Sridevi herself!

The wiggy of it all - Jeetendra's! 

It appears as if Jeetendra styled himself like NTR in Sardar Paparayudu (1980) - the Telugu original version of Sarfarosh. While the original version was a blockbuster, hence remade (Sridevi appeared in both), the quick frame by frame Hindi version did nothing for the coffers of the film producer... er... Jeetendra! Jeetendra was successful, of course, but his fan following was nothing compared to NTR! 

Jeetendra's home productions rode the tide of hits and flops rather jarringly. He lost a lot of money (Deedar-E-Yaar) and then made some (Jyoti Bane Jwala & Pyaasa Sawan), and then lost again (Aag aur Shola). Overall, in the long run, the enduring legacy of the superstar lies in his business acumen - as he famously said on Comedy Nights with Kapil, his only goal in life in movies was to make money - he didn't care for any awards or accolades! Just rewards! He sowed the seeds that has led to the entertainment production behemoth his company has now become - led dutifully by his wife and daughter. Film production in India is serious business; rhino hide skin needed to survive! Just ask producer Boney Kapoor! The slings and arrows of critics are incessant and rewards infrequent. 

Released on 15 March 1985, though Sarfarosh was a surprise flop, the two leading stars Sridevi and Jeetendra barely felt the pinch, as the film preceded two hits, and followed two hits! 

Stars come and go, flops come and go, the enduring legacy lives on. 

RELATED FEATURES

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• Sridevi and Jeetendra films here.
• Sarfarosh gallery and featuers here.
• Sridevi in the 1980s here. 

Sridevi reunites with Jeetendra at an event for South Africa: TBT to 2006

Bollywood superstars, Sridevi and Jeetendra strike a pose with noted producer Boney Kapoor during the 'South African party', in Mumbai on November 11, 2006.  

Jeetendra, Dilip Kumar and Sridevi in Dharm Adhikari (1986)

Jeetendra, Dilip Kumar, Priti Sapru (back) and Sridevi on the sets of Dharm Adhikari (1986)

One of two films Sridevi and Dilip Kumar worked in (the other being Karma). 

Jeetendra and Sridevi: So many films, so many Bollywood blockbusters!

Jeetendra and Sridevi: So many films, so many Bollywood blockbusters! Not sure a single film was liked by the critics and I'm pretty sure neither of them cared as the movies made them, their team, the production houses and Bollywood at large, so much money that they were laughing all the way to the bank, while reviews carped on. 

Not being familiar with the work of the two in the early years, its so difficult to accurately label each image with the right film/year. If you know - pls comment below!