Sridevi with Jeetendra in the biggest hit of 1984: Tohfa: A Gift that keeps on Giving!

Sridevi, 20, and Jeetendra, 41, from a still from Tohfa.

Released on February 3, 1984, director K. Raghavendra Rao’s Tohfa emerged as a towering box-office juggernaut. Made on a modest budget of approximately ₹2 to ₹4 crore, the melodrama went on to gross an unprecedented ₹9 crore, beating out heavy-weights starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, and Rajesh Khanna to become the highest-grossing Indian film of 1984. Simply based on ROI - return on investment - few films beat this movie's records. 

Its runaway success surprised industry insiders because the early 1980s box office was dominated by gritty, male-dominated action thrillers and revenge sagas. Posters of rugged men holding guns with a background of the screen ablaze... Switch to the dancing shots of Jeetendra-Sridevi-Jaya Prada, it was quite a left turn! A hyper-melodramatic, South-style family tale centered around two self-sacrificing sisters wasn't expected to rule the year's commercial charts.

However, producer D. Ramanaidu had a battle-tested template. Tohfa was a direct remake of Rao's 1982 Telugu blockbuster Devatha. Both Sridevi and Jaya Prada reprised their original roles as sisters in love with the same man (played in Hindi by Jeetendra). Knowing the underlying story possessed proven dramatic heft, the production team spared no expense in translating that emotional core for Hindi audiences.

What truly set Tohfa apart before it even hit theaters was its revolutionary pre-publicity campaign. Ramanaidu flooded major cities with massive, larger-than-life cutouts and towering billboards—a marketing scale rarely seen for social melodramas at the time. Crucially, the publicity leveraged Bappi Lahiri’s electrifying soundtrack. Tracks like "Pyar Ka Tohfa Tera" and "Ek Aankh Maroon To" were aggressively plugged across radio channels and audio cassettes, generating massive pre-release hype. Coupled with the real-life media fascination surrounding the Sridevi–Jaya Prada screen rivalry, audiences flooded theaters. The blend of high-decibel marketing, chart-topping music, and relentless emotional drama turned Tohfa into an enduring pop-culture landmark.

Critically, it was in no danger of being confused as an art-house film, the serious film editors and reviewers hated the film and its flimsy plot - but not a single person in the cast or crew cared; they were laughing all the way to the bank as the movie made more money than any other in India! Nothing succeeds like... success. 

Salman Khan with Sridevi

When they first shot in a film together, Salman Khan was 26 and Sridevi was 28 - but the press and "the haters" had a field day trolling on the age gap between the two stars. 

TBH they looked fine together, great in fact, despite Sridevi often towering over him (be it in height, dancing or acting...)... Note the consistent use of her flats in several scenes in the movies - in fact she's barefoot in several moments! 

All their films together were substandard. Expensive flops mishandled by either incapable directors, or wayward scripts, shoddy editing... its a barrage of faults. 

Just look at the stills and some of the songs online. The movies are all skippable. 

 

Early 90s Mayapuri cover with Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Rekha

 

Early 90s, everyone in costume on their film sets. TBH... no one looks great here. That weird period of transition from the excess of 80s.... Anil Kapoor and Sridevi on the sets of the period film Heer Ranjha. Anil Kapoor's horrendous wig... which he diteched mid way of production. 

Rekha, in her usual over-the-top dance costume... possibly from the song Gori jabse huyee jawan... 

Sridevi

 

Sridevi from the song Jeevan Jyot Jale from the film Aulad (1987) 

Long before daily soap operas monopolised Indian television, 1980s Hindi cinema supplied all the high-voltage family melodrama an audience could ask for. Released in 1987, director Vijay Sadanah’s Aulad stood as a fine example in the genre, weaving a classic tale of swapped infants, tragic train crashes, and the agonising conflict of rival motherhood.

Anchored by Jeetendra, Sridevi, and Jaya Prada, Aulad emerged as a certified box-office hit. Central to its theatrical success was a hit soundtrack composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Songs like the spirited Kishore Kumar and Kavita Krishnamurthy duet "To Phir Ho Jaaye" and the poignant "Ek Maa Ka Dil" provided the emotional beating heart of the narrative, lingering on radio charts long after the film's theatrical run.

At the center of the storm was the iconic rivalry and synergy between Sridevi and Jaya Prada. Having shared the frame across roughly 15 films in Hindi and Telugu - including smash hits like Tohfa and Mawaali - their pairing was pure marquee gold. Contrary to popular memory, Aulad was not their final bow together; they reunited that same year in Majaal [produced by Jaya Prada's family no loess!]. Yet Aulad offered one of their most compelling dual setups, pitting two formidable screen personas against each other in the moral atonement of sacrifice.

While the film leaned heavily into the era's dramatic formulas, Sridevi’s performance as Devki drew unanimous praise. Transitioning effortlessly from a breezy, street-smart entertainer to a grief-stricken mother navigating unimaginable loss, she delivered a performance of remarkable vulnerability. Her expressive eyes carried the full weight of the second half, elevating standard tear-jerker tropes into genuine emotional drama. A dubious decade defined by grand theatricality, Aulad proved that Sridevi’s absolute mastery of dramatic gravitas was unmatched.

Sridevi on the sets of Gurudev

Sridevi waiting on the sets of Gurudev - throwback to 1993!
 

Surinder Kapoor, Shekhar Kapur, Sridevi, Anil Kapoor and Baba Azmi on the sets of Mr.India

 

Sridevi in a black gown: 90s high glamour photoshoot

Gown and glory of... the great Sridevi. 

Rakesh Shreshta photography as usual - we have the outtakes and behind the scenes shots of this studio shoot with Sridevi in the archive.