Sridevi, Lakshmi, Om Prakash and Nadira in the Hindi film Julie (1975)

Sridevi, Lakshmi, Om Prakash and Nadira in the Hindi film Julie (1975). 

Released 48 years ago today, Julie was the first brief glimpse of young Sridevi, 12, for the Hindi belt as the musical was a massive hit. By then, Sridevi had already been in the film industry for eight years as a child artist in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. 

To be fair, Sridevi didn't make a huge impact from this particular film - as she's there very briefly as a supporting actress, playing the younger sister of the lead, gorgeous Malayali actress Lakshmi. It's only in hindsight, considering what a megastar Sridevi went on to become, that Julie becomes a reference point in Sridevi's career, more than a showcase for her (vast) talents. 

Believe it or not, it was a controversial "Adult" film with spellbinding music, addressing serious themes with sensitivity and maturity - an adaption of the Malayalam blockbuster Chattakkari (1974). 

Sridevi at age 12, on the sets of Julie with Lakshmi and Om Prakash

Sridevi, Lakshmi and Om Prakash

Julie was released in April of 1975  - so Sridevi was, by our calculation, all of 12 when the film was shot and released (she'd be 13 in August of 1975!).

The tall young gal had a brief role as the leading lady's younger sister. The movie was one of the biggest hits of the year and the music, the biggest of the decade. You can see a tall and thin Sri grooving along to the hit song 'My heart is beating' on YouTube.en here with the leading lady Lakshmi and character actor Om Prakash.

Sridevi's popular appearance in Bollywood as a 12-year-old in Julie (1975)

Some stills from Sridevi's most memorable (albeit short!) appearance in a popular Hindi film Julie. As a child artist (age around age 11--12), Julie (1975) is often credited as Sridevi's first Hindi film appearance; its not! Sridevi appeared in the hardly seen Hindi film Rani Mera Naam as a child artist in the first few mintues of the B-film back in 1972, when she was barely 9! 

Sridevi has never spoken about her work in Rani Mera Naam, but about Julie, she said, "When I did my fist film as the heroine in the South, I also simultaneously acted in Julie. I was 11 years old then [when the movie was shot], in the film I was supposed to have a boyfriend and I didn’t even know the meaning of the word. I was so innocent then. I also remember my mother in a flying rage during the making of this film (laughing). You see I was playing an Anglo-Indian girl, and the director insisted that I cut my long hair in a bob only to look more realistic. My mother refused point blank. But one day when she wasn’t around, one of the artistes bullied me into sitting still and she quickly cut off all my tresses. My mother was absolutely livid when she later found out!"

--  From Cine Blitz, Jan 1992. See entire interview here.

In the cast line up (left), here's young Sridevi with iconic Malayali actress Lakshmi, comedian and character actor Om Prakash and yesteryear legend Nadira.

Pictures of young Sridevi from the film publicity stills and screengrabs below. 

• More images of Sridevi in Julie here.
• Sridevi as a child artist here.
• Sridevi's films in 1975 here.