Sridevi and Khushi Kapoor Suit Up!

 

Sridevi with Anil Kapoor over the years: Co-stars, friends, to family

Here are five quotes from Anil Kapoor about Sridevi, drawn from reliable sources across different years:

1996 (Filmfare interview)

“I knew I’d look like a nerd opposite her – she was the ultimate showgirl, with her glamour. Oof, just dazzling… She was the complete star. Mr India was sold on her name.” 

2012 (at the GQ Men of the Year awards)

“Well, she is a complete actress. I have done a lot of films with her and in the last many, many years, I think she is the best.” 

August 2018 (Twitter post on her birth anniversary)

“A true star that shone brightly on-screen & lit up the lives of everyone she touched. Not a day goes by when we don’t miss you Sri. We see your reflection in Janhvi Kapoor & Khushi Kapoor everyday. You live on in our hearts & minds...” 

ndtv.com

December 2018 (on Dance Plus 4 Sridevi tribute episode)

“As an artist I feel blessed to have worked with Sridevi ji and she had a huge contribution to my career. She was an actor with immeasurable talent who could fill the screen with her magic. We shouldn’t remember her with sadness and rather celebrate her brilliance as a performer with love, affection and joy.” 

hindustantimes.com

February 2019 (to Mumbai Mirror, ahead of her death anniversary)

“She was my brother’s wife and my wife’s friend as they connected really well. Whenever we met there was always fun, laughter and humour. People like Sri ji are difficult to forget. Her body of work is fabulous and inspiring. Her films are still being seen and pictures still being published everywhere. She will always be missed.” 

filmibeat.com

BTW Anil Kapoor is 6 years and 7 months older than Sridevi! The 'ji' is his sign of respect for a great artiste and co-star, who was a bigger star than him when they first started working together, especially during the making of Mr.India, when Sridevi was already ruling Bollywood after the stupendous success of Nagina. 

Sridevi on the sets of Gair Kanooni (1989)

Sridevi on the sets of Gair Kanooni (1989). 

As the film was in production for long - Sridevi is every size and shape in this odd ball movie. 

Sunny Deol turns 69 today: Sridevi's infrequent and ambivalent co-star

click to enlarge

Some tabloid scans from the 1980s show that Sunny Deol was on a warpath with several stars - which is odd considering how soft-spoken he is. But clearly, there are anger management issues.

Him speaking out against Sridevi on Aap Ki Adalat haunts us. And it's not the first time he's taken shots at Sridevi, even though they appeared in six films together from 1984 to 1989. In MOVIE magazine, he said, "I've worked a lot with... what's her name... Sridevi..."

And this was in the early 1990s when Sridevi was a huge star; in fact, her rising sun shone brighter than Sunny Deol's - who seems to give a hit once every decade, among a slew of flops and mega-flops. 

I'm trying to find something nice to say about the sexagenarian actor on his birthday, but I'm just reminded constantly on social media about how often he's taken a dig at Sridevi- unkind, especially after her passing, when it's just poor form and bad taste. No gentleman ever would. 

No one is perfect, and every human has flaws. Sridevi may have stepped on a few toes on her quick ascent to the very top, but she certainly didn't sabotage the career of her brawny 'dhai-kilo-ka-haath' co-star. She got the title roles, double roles, awards, more space on film posters and film magazines - based on merit. She was no nepo baby unlike the second (and third!) generation of Deols. 

Sunny Deol posted a small note after Sridevi passed - and then he took it down! What an odd way to treat the memory of a co-star you worked with for the better part of a decade.  

His appearance on Baaje Payal, the Sridevi episode was hysterical; you've never seen a actor be so reluctant to praise a leading lady who was several leagues ahead of him as a dancer.  

All in all, Jaya Prada and Sunny Deol have been the only two co-stars of Sridevi that I can think of who have spoken against her in the past. Both have back-peddled on comments since Sridevi's untimely and tragic passing - but we don't forget. 

Sunny Deol has blamed everyone but himself for a career that is littered with clunkers. Why, just recently he delivered a mega-flop Batwara 1947- despite the movie being rather good, if not great (Rajkumar Santoshi is the most underrated writer-director; he makes fab movies, even if they don't all work at the box office). 

Sunny Deol's a decent actor and a good action star, with a signature dialogue delivery that's worked for the masses. He's also an award-winning film producer and actor, but he seems to take umbrage at the ways of the industry and media for not rewarding him and his family. Part of that I agree with. His famous father, the great Dharmendra was a massive box-office success with incredible longevity and a stellar run of films. But because of his lack of guile and his refusal to manipulate the media, he never got enough acknowledgement, credit or awards. Still, he got the ultimate reward: the love of the masses. - as he often claimed. And a career that's second to none. He was a superstar - but early films show, he was a great, empathetic actor too. He also was a gifted linguist; he spoke Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu with such ease and proficiency. In fact, when you study the box-office of Dharmendra - he had more hits than any of his contemporaries - but he didn't boast his achievements and he didn't leverage it to work on greater films. The man of the masses, he said yes to any and every movie - look at the sheer volume of films... and not all were great. Especially in the dire 80s.  

Now, we can't say the same of Sunny D. His sporadic successes, his producers taking him to court, his personal life played out in the tabloids, his viral clip of fan meetings... Sunny Deol's a reluctant star, unhappy with the trappings of fame - and the baggage that comes with it. Dharmendra loved the masses, his people, his Punjab - his fandom reached coast to coast as he seemed like man of the people; big heart, big smile and generous to a fault.  

Sunny Deol's fandom is a smaller figure, albeit a louder one. 

Sridevi in and as Chandni: On screen perfection

 

Rare pic: Sridevi and Rati Agnihotri in 2000

Sridevi and Rati Agnihotri as guests for Bombay Scottish school event, circa 2000. 

Colleagues since 1981 - working on a deep dive on Rati Agnihotri. 

Eyes eyes baby: Sridevi wins the MOVIE opinion poll

After a take-down of Sridevi to third place in the annual opinion poll edition of MOVIE magazine, this was sort of a consolation prize in 1993/1994.. 

30+ Sridevi's box-office clout wasn't as ironclad as it was before. And the readers had spoken. The publishers.. well, they published their findings. 

Hardcore Sridevi fans didn't agree with much in that edition... but we bought the magazine anyway!! 

Well, Sridevi did have the prettiest eyes.