Jaya Prada, Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna on the sets of Maqsad

Jaya Prada, Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna on the sets of Maqsad! 

Two people Sridevi didn't thoroughly enjoy working with... the mercurial and temperamental former superstar Rajesh Khanna, while clinging on to his fast fading stardom.... and the famously feuding Jaya Prada. 

Sridevi just held her own, with her signature grace and tall statuesque diva-dom. 

 

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... 

Sridevi with Jaya Prada in their epic dance off in Maqsad

 

Released on April 27, 1984, Maqsad was led by an all-star cast of Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Sridevi and Jaya Prada. The film is no great shakes, but we were all shook up when we saw the epic dance-off between the famously warring leading ladies, Sridevi and Jaya Prada. The film is worth watching only to see these two dancing icons work their hardest. They made each other better. Both are so damn good in it, even with our cognitive bias in favour of Sridevi, cannot decide who is better. Expressions, movement, elegance, grace, precision, both are fantastic.

The men are... well, overacting their way through the dance, but really, no one's looking at them when these flashes of blue and pink are raging on the screen. 

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. 
 

Rajesh Khanna flanked by Jaya Prada and Sridevi in Maqsad

 Rajesh Khanna flanked by Jaya Prada and Sridevi in Maqsad 

Sridevi with Amjad Khan in Maqsad (1984)

As Bollywood Memories points out on Twitter, Maqsad was released on this day back in 4 May, 1984; ipso facto;

#41YearsOfMaqsad 4May1984 #Jeetendra #RajeshKhanna #Sridevi #JayaPrada #WaheedaRehman #AmjadKhan #KaderKhan #PremChopra #Ranjeet #ShaktiKapoor and #ShatrughanSinha #Indeevar #BappiLahiri #KBapaiah

Balidaan was released on the same day and on May 4, 1990, Naaka Bandi was released. This date is a triple film anniversary for Sridevi fans. 

Maqsad's Hindi film poster. Rare vintage paper scan.

 

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! 

Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna in Maqsad

Sridevi with Rajesh Khanna in Maqsad. During the making of the film, Sridevi had just turned 20 and Rajesh Khanna was 42! There are some interviews out there where she said she was always unsure of working with Kakaji as his famous temperament was... well, temperamental! It didn't translate too badly on screen as, believe it or not, all their films together were successful at the box-office! 

 

Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna in Maqsad

Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna in Maqsad. 

 

Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi on the sets of Maqsad (1984): TBT: Throwback Tuesday!

Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi on the sets of Maqsad (1984): TBT: Throwback Tuesday! 

Despite their two decade + age gap, they were a powerful duo at the box-office; all their movies were successful. Not particularly liked by the critics, the high octane melodrama of the 1980s, the often direct lifts of Tamil/Telugu hits succeeded across Indian screens. Their legacy lives on. 

Sridevi in Maqsad (1984)

Throwback to 1984; Sridevi on the sets of her hit film Maqsad

38 years of Maqsad: Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra's 80s Bollywood hit

38 years of Maqsad: Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra's 80s Bollywood hit

The ONLY thing really memorable about the film is the epic Sridevi and Jaya Prada dance-off. Otherwise, just regular Madras masala movie fare... 

Exquisite Sridevi in Maqsad

Exquisite Sridevi in Maqsad 

Personally, we love to be informed and enlightened with facts here on the site. Earlier we had posted this image with the inaccurate caption, 'Sridevi on the set of a Tamil film."

A keen eyed fan pointed out, in fact, this look is from a scene in Maqsad. We stand corrected - and are happy to update the site with accuracy and alacrity.

Many online writers, bloggers seem to get wildly and disproportionately offended or aggravated when their errors are pointed out. Why? It goes against the grain of being educated, informed and enlightened daily in some way, form or manner. 

Opinions are not facts. Facts have no opinion. 

We are here for constructive criticism  - but not ill-informed speculation or gossip. 

We will be starting a new section here to point out news sites, online blogs with inaccurate posts and newsbytes and will call them out until they correct offending passages. 

Watch out for it. 

Exquisite Sridevi in a sari

 

Exquisite Sridevi in a sari in Maqsad. 

Sridevi looking so cute in Maqsad

 Sridevi looking so cute in Maqsad 

With her 21+ years senior co-star Rajesh Khanna 

In this blog, we obviously bring up age a lot. Sridevi acting as a love interest of Rajesh Khanna is the equivalent of Hrithik Roshan starring as a love interest for Rekha } that's how wide the age gap is. Or if Varun Dhawan's co-star is Madhuri Dixit. Things that we'd neverrrrrrr see. Food for thought...

Rajesh Khanna with Sridevi in Maqsad

 

Rajesh Khanna with Sridevi in Maqsad 

Back in 1984, the dialogues alone ensured the film got an Adult certificate! 

For those familiar with Indian double-meaning dialogues and innuendo, this was considered shocking then - such were social mores. 

By today's standards and what's on OTT platforms, this is rather... puerile. Although I'm guessing, it was rather puerile then too.

Pretty sure as Sridevi didn't know, understand or speak Hindi (note how her voice was dubbed), pretty sure she would have never approved of what was said and done. 

Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna in Maqsad

Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna from the song Haay Haay Garmi Hai from the Hindi film Maqsad (1984) 

Jaya Prada and Sridevi in Maqsad (1984): Arch Rivals off screen, sisters on screen!

Jaya Prada and Sridevi behind the scenes of Maqsad. Their dance off in the movie is glorious.

Archive of images from Maqsad here. 

Sridevi in 1984 on the sets of Maqsad

Sridevi in the summer of 1984. Second take!

Sridevi's look from Maqsad; from the song Ho ho ho garmi hai sanson mein... 

Amjad Khan with Sridevi in Maqsad (1984)

Forever Gabbar Singh, Amjad Khan was phenomenal at comedy too. What an actor. Seen here with Sridevi in the film Maqsad (1984). Rare screencap and pic from a tabloid.