If you haven't read writer and director Gauri Shinde's tribute to Sridevi a year after Sri's shocking, tragic and untimely passing, you need to do so now at Vogue India's web site here.
Not sure if any other person could have done full justice to the volume of untapped and unexplored talent Sridevi had other than Gauri Shinde. The confluence of events, the serendipity of a newcomer and a well-established legend meeting and getting along instantly... the universe truly conspired to make the 'comeback film' of Sridevi (loathed as the term was by both) a Cinderella story. Her predecessors and successors tried to make effective returns to film... only to fail spectacularly. So how did Sri make it all work?!
Here's my meandering stream of consciousness on the biz;
It was a perfect alchemy of a contemporary writer-director, not in awe by the superstar status of Sri (and her larger-than-life aura and grandeur) to seamlessly segue a star into the role of an ordinary woman. Many of Sridevi's past directors, especially between 1987 and 1997 - were trying to recreate the magic of Sri's bygone hits, her steady bag of tricks and tropes she had already showcased in iconic films; the comedic songs, the rain song, the elfin cuteness, the seductress, the monochrome chiffon saris, the mischief, the double-roles... that went from exciting prospects of showcasing her range, eg a Chaalbaaz or a Lamhe - to being great fodder for critics who painfully opined that they had seen it all before eg Gurudev, Banjaran or Nigahein.
Sridevi needed someone with fresh, un-tinted eyes and found the perfect pair in Shinde.
In Rajeev Masand's telling question to Gauri Shinde on CNN, he posited, "Gauri, were you a fan of Sridevi?" with an inkling that she wasn't [in the beginning]. The director took a second more than needed to answer - in the pocket of time, Sri dived in to answer for her. "No I don't think so!"
They all burst out laughing in unison. But in mirth, a truer statement appeared. The curly haired director didn't particularly care for the twisted plots of '80s Bollywood bubble gum factory products and preferred the oeuvre of Sri's earlier Tamil films. Any and every fan of Sridevi who has missed out on the actress's southern roots is deprived of knowing rich chapters in her prolific career.
Gauri Shinde brought the role of a woman-next-door to an extraordinary superstar. Gone were the sequins, feathers and Bollywood-get-ups to doll up Sridevi, instead she brought a role that was tailor-made for the legend in the subtlest of Sabya saris.
Funnily enough, neither of them knew it during the narration of a script, but the writer in her saw Sridevi respond to all the right bits, the director witnessed the subtle performance that enhanced what was on the page to extraordinary lengths. This might seem hyperbola - we are hardcore Sri fans after all - but take note of all the tiny little things Sri did on screen to fully flesh out her character. The polite little namastay she does to the immigration camera, her Michael Jackson take, that single-tear shot of her looking at her mother-in-law... Which moments were planned? Which were created on set?
Even when she was a superstar, Sridevi didn't play victim, her arc always showed her triumph no matter what the adversity; be it a snake-charmer, Mogambo, dacoit or nefarious relatives, Sri survived all. In English Vinglish, sure the daughter and husband took her for granted but Shashi wasn't asking for sympathy, she wanted empathy. Her circumstances didn't define her, her strength of character did.
When we met the director in her office on the eve of English Vinglish's release in Mumbai, we told Gauri, 'You know Sridevi's ruined you for other actors, you'll never get to conduct a maestro again.'
At the risk of offending the billion fans of Srk and the ever-growing fandom of Alia Bhatt, to large extent we were right. Shah Rukh didn't shed his superstar persona in Dear Zindagi, the sunglasses and perfunctory beard didn't mask his larger-than-life self. Alia Bhatt struggling to find herself without the shackles of a man to complete her is... well, hardly a stretch for the 21-year-old actress. Not to take anything away from either star, but do you remember what the names of the two were? But we all know it was Shashi in English Vinglish. Sridevi disappeared after the titles scrolled through and Shashi stayed till the end.
In the west, Elizabeth Taylor traversed a parallel journey of lifelong fame and celebrity as Sridevi did; from child star, leading lady, award-winning actress, to legend. Taylor once revealed that she couldn't remember a time in her life when she wasn't famous. Sridevi suffered a similar fate; as far as memory serves, Sridevi has been famous. While Taylor was the grande dame and greatly self-aware of her status, Sridevi was, as Shinde said, extraordinarily "ordinary" in person. She didn't arrive on set with the baggage of her past hits or take her national icon status too seriously. When you watch the making of' English Vinglish, the ease the unit shared with her reveals a lot more of Sridevi the person than the persona.
There will never be another Sridevi in our or for the next ten lifetimes...
Truly Diva. I bow to her.
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