Eternal Chandni: Is this the most famous ghaghra choli of 1989?!

 

Sonam - of Tridev's Oye Oye fame - remembers Sridevi with love and admiration: Once a fan, always a fan

Years ago, I posted a picture of Sonam with Sridevi - and got barraged with comments from the uninformed twats on twitter and Facebook that it wasn't Sonam - they were confusing Sonam Kapoor (the outspoken first-born of Anil Kapoor) with yesteryear actress Sonam. Well, here's a quick recap of the star; Sonam (born Bakhtawar Khan), popularly known as the “Oye Oye” girl from Tridev, is a former Bollywood actress who enjoyed a brief but memorable career in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, in the span of just six years, Sonam appeared in 28 films; 24 Hindi, 3 Telugu and 1 Bengali movie. 

Born on September 2, 1972, she entered films as a teenager. Her debut came with the Telugu film Samrat (1987), followed by a Hindi launch under Yash Chopra no less, with the much older co-star, Rishi Kapoor.  Sonam lied about her age to land her first film and, when she was just 15, worked in the film Vijay (a good film with great songs, that did average business) with a 20+ year older co-star. A common practice that the industry has yet to shed!

Sonam was a tabloid and film magazine darling, a favourite of photographers like Rakesh Shreshta, Jagdish Mali - she did sensational photoshoots, embraced 80s fashion and was regularly featured in all the glossies! En era of print media power, she graced several covers month after month, year after year. She quickly gained traction with nine releases in 1989 alone; she was no slouch and worked her tail off in multiple movies working multiple shifts. The niece of notable character actor Raza Murad, she was no nepo baby, but worked her way from the ground up, supporting her family.

Her breakthrough arrived with Rajiv Rai’s action blockbuster Tridev (1989), where she starred opposite Naseeruddin Shah. The energetic song “Oye Oye... Tirchi Topi Wale” became a massive hit, catapulting her to pan-Indian fame. Other notable films include Mitti Aur Sona (1989) with Chunky Pandey which gave her the best reviews of her career, Kroadh (1990), the Telugu hit Kodama Simham (1990) with Chiranjeevi. Ajooba (1991) reunited her with her first co-star Rishi Kapoor, and Vishwatma (1992) got her her hit songs once again. She was praised for her youthful fresh looks (she was a teen when she started after all!), dancing skills, and screen presence in an era dominated by established stars.

Sonam married director Rajiv Rai in 1991 and chose to quit acting shortly after to focus on family life. Rai was on top of Bollywood - serving one hit after another, while she gave birth to her son Gaurav Rai before turning 21 and chose maternity over the film fraternity. The couple later moved abroad (around 1997) amid industry challenges and personal reasons, living in the US until about 2012. The age-gap between the director Rajiv Rai and his leading lady Sonam, wasn't a big deal initially but the 17 year chasm between the two seemed ever widening as they split. After divorce, she returned to Mumbai, remarried, and largely stayed out of the spotlight for decades.

Sonam in Stardust 1989

In recent years, Sonam has embraced social media. She made a sudden and notable appearance on Instagram (@sonamkhan_72 ) around late 2022–2023, sharing throwbacks, interviews, and personal stories. Her account quickly gained traction - now boasting over 860K followers - thanks to nostalgic 90s fans rediscovering her iconic “Oye Oye” era, glamorous photos, and candid posts about motherhood and life. Her content mixes vintage clips, fashion, and reflections, resonating strongly with audiences who remember her peak.

Now in her early 50s and looking radiant, Sonam has expressed interest in a comeback with meaningful roles in films and OTT. She remains active as a mother (sharing her journey with her autistic son), reader, music lover, and fashion enthusiast. Her story - from meteoric rise and voluntary exit to graceful digital re-emergence - continues as meets the challenges of life head on.

For Sridevi fans, wondering why this deep dive into the life and times of Sonam? Well, she recently posted a throwback picture of the mahurat [launch] of the film Naaka Bandi, with Sridevi and wrote about what a fan she was of the South Indian icon; 

 

Sonam writes about Sridevi, "I met her at the mahurat of Nakabandi and barely got a hello. She was so reserved it hurt to watch. Like she was holding the whole world behind her eyes. 

Then came Chandni premiere night. I was there too. That night after the movie ended there was immense reaction — mostly a mixed bag within the film industry. Doubt everywhere. But I thought otherwise, and just like that the next day itself I sent her flowers. 

“A queen will be a queen”

I wrote a note along with the flowers. 

I loved her in Chandni and so did the rest of the world.  

Sridevi called Yash Ji and said, “Sonam has sent me flowers which are touching my ceiling.” He told me that when I met him at his office. It was a fan moment for me. Like, Sridevi ma’am even knows my name. Yay!  

She never forgot. She told Yash Ji I was the only actress who sent her flowers. 

When we met again for the Nakabandi patchwork, she thanked me for those roses. That was it. The ice broke. A simple gesture with no agenda made me her my friend, and God, I was so proud of that.

I was very young and she got that because she too started working at an extremely young age. That connection comes with honesty and zero malice. 

After that, she changed with me. The legend fell away. She’d tug at my sleeve, eyes sparkling, giggling like we were back in school. 

I still think of that New York to Bombay flight in 1990. We’d both just performed at Amitji’s concert. For hours she talked. No walls, no silences. Just her being soft, funny, real. Sometimes heartbreakingly honest. 

She left us too soon. But I got to know both of her: the queen everyone worshipped, and the child who just wanted to laugh. 

It was a privilege and an honor to have known her. 

A queen can be replaced but not Sridevi.

I still mean every word I wrote that night:

A queen will always be a queen because she was The Sridevi never meant to be replaced, till eternity. 👑

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🦋Trivia - after I got married to Rajiv and he was making Mohra I told him to cast her in the movie, after the sad demise of Divya. Due to fate and date issues she couldn’t work in Mohra. She would have been the ideal Mast Mast QUEEN👑

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Jitesh Pillai's review of Lamhe back in 1991!

Jitesh Pillai of Bombay went from writing to Filmfare to editing Filmfare. 

Not sure about the sloppy writing above... 

TBT: Sridevi in Star & Style

 

Sridevi in Nagina: A Superstar is Born

 

The Mumbai Premiere of Chandni back in 1989: Sridevi, Shiv Hari and Yash Chopra

 The Mumbai premiere of Chandni back in 1989: Sridevi, Shiv Hari and Yash Chopra 

 The chatGPT colour edit... er... no. 

One of two pics of Madhuri Dixit with Sridevi on the sets of Zameen that exist

I burst out laughing when I saw the Grok'd version of the original picture of the cast of Zameen, with Vinod Khanna, Madhuri Dixti and Sridevi! No one looks like no one else! So maybe AI isn't all that its cracked up to be! 

2/3rd of the cast above is no more. Tragic. I wish we could see the comedy scenes or dances that were completely shot. Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit dancing together... happened only once in our lifetime. At that reality TV show..