Ten Films to Watch of Sridevi - according to SKJ

10 Top Films Of The Ultimate Diva: Sridevi

By Subash K Jha

“Jaag Utha Insan” (1984): Though it was “Himmatwala” that launched her into stardom in Bollywood, it was this unsuccessful nugget of a film produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by the inimitable K. Vishwanath, where Sridevi shone as a temple dancer wooed by a Brahmin boy (Rakesh Roshan) and a socio-economically challenged underdog (Mithun Chakraborty). Sridevi danced and emoted as though there was no tomorrow. And as long as she did, we didn’t care if there wasn’t a tomorrow.

* “Sadma” (1983): The true coming of age of one of India’s finest actresses. As a girl, who after an accident regresses into childhood, Sridevi conveyed all the nuances of her character’s predicament without getting over-cute. The performance is so accomplished and complete that it never ceases to astonish. Sridevi’s formidable co-star Kamal Haasan thinks she did the character even better in the Tamil original “Moondram Pirai”. We could say the same about him.

* “Nagina” (1986): An awful film, but what an impact! Sridevi as a snake-woman slithering on the floor dancing to Amrish Puri’s music as Lata Mangeshkar sang the chartbuster “Main teri dushman, dushman tu mera”. Does anyone remember anything else about this hideous Harmesh Malhotra creation?

* “Janbaaz” (1986): It is strange how Sridevi’s legendary reputation is built on songs and dances as much as her breathtaking performances. In Feroz Khan’s “Janbaaz”, she had a brief role as Feroz’s beloved. But her presence in the glowing orange chiffon sari dancing to the sound of “Har kisiko nahin milta”, lingers.

* “Mr. India” (1987): A turning point in Sridevi’s everlasting romance with the camera. Playing the perky journalist, who hates kids, the actress was just amazing. Shekhar Kapur made her do everything we always wanted her to. If Sridevi’s comic timing in the Charlie Chaplin impersonation sequence was impeccable, she oozed sensuality in that iconic blue chiffon sari in the song “Kate nahin katt te”.

* “Chandni” (1989): With this film, Sridevi became a Yash Chopra heroine. Thinned down to a chiselled charmer, and sharpening her subtle emotive skills, Sridevi delivered a knockout performance, which straightway propelled her to the top position. The film was an extended showreel of her talent as she danced, sang, giggled and wept for the love of a tragically wheelchair-bound Rishi Kapoor. Seldom has any Yash Chopra heroine made such sumptuous use of the camera space.

* “ChaalBaaz” (1989): The same year as “Chandni”, Sridevi wowed movie buffs with her double role as the docile Anju and the tomboyish Manju. Though Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini had done the same double role before, Sridevi brought an added zest to the role. Pankaj Parashar let the actress have all the fun that she wanted.

* “Lamhe” (1991): Sridevi, as we all know, is addictive. After “Chandni”, Yash Chopra brought her back to the screen in this bold love story of a girl who dares to love a man old enough to be her father. Sridevi played both the mother and the daughter with such distinctive flair that we wondered, could the same actress do so many different spectrums of emotion in the same film?

* “Army” (1996): It is the only film that brought Sridevi face-to-face with Shah Rukh Khan. In this film, there is a sequence where Shah Rukh, playing an army jawaan, is brought home dead. All through the film Shah Rukh plays ‘I-am-dead’ pranks on Sridevi, so she presumes this is also one of those sick jokes. The way she goes from giggling dismissal to shock and finally a breakdown in that sequence, is a textbook of pitch-perfect acting. Sridevi played a gender-reversed Amjad Khan’s role in “Sholay” of a woman, who hires mercenaries to avenge the villain Danny Denzongpa. As it often happened, Sri was far superior to the material offered to her.

* “Judaai” (1997): Her last hurrah before she bowed out to play wife and mother. “Judaai” is a crass melodrama directed by the late Raj Kanwar. It features Sridevi at her absolute best. The way she lifts the most mundane of scenes has to be seen to be believed.

* “English Vinglish” (2012): Her comeback film. It proved once again there will never be another Sridevi.

From SKJ Bollywood News: http://skjbollywoodnews.com/2015/08/sridevis-51st-birthday-10-top-films-of-the-ultimate-diva/4135353.html

A major throwback: We found the original review of Jaag Utha Insan, written by Subash K Jha of Patna! He wrote in to Filmfare back in 1984. He had a way with words early on and became, from a fan writing to Filmfare, to a popular, regular contributing writer. The origin story of a prolific film writer and self-proclaimed cinema historian. 

Than some infamous incidents followed - Sonu Nigam, war of words with Poornima - and he is no longer of the esteem he once possessed. Some of his notes on the film are interesting;

K. VISHWANATH'S latest Hindi film Jaag Utha Insan is one of the few sincere depictions of Hindu culture and heritage seen on the Hindi screen in a long time. Sandhya (Sridevi) is a dancer and Hari (Mithun Chakraborty) plays the flute. The two instantly fall into a comfortable relationship. 

The first half of the film, which shows the growing and cementing of the couple's love for each other, proves both the director's skill at handling his characters and Sridevi's superb interpretation of her role. The crisis comes when Hari tells Sandhya the one detail they have overlooked amidst the celebration of their togetherness: the fact that Hari is a Harijan. At the moment of revelation the camera moves up to capture a flock of birds and Vishwanath freezes his heroine's shocked disbelief, with her "No, no" pervading the soundtrack - a memorable scene. 

The second half turns dramatic and tense and is, on the whole, less satisfying than the first, more relaxed, half. Sandhya is forcibly married to Nandu (Raakesh Roshan), a village priest's foster-son. From this point onwards the film tends to rely on people's blind belief in religion for dramatic emphasis, which goes against the sincere and rational spirit of the theme. Nandu cannot 'touch' his wife because—hold your breath- he sees a goddess in her every time he attempts any sort of intimacy with her. One sincerely wishes Vishwanath had avoided those redundant scenes of Sridevi as a goddess, crown and all. 

The film comes alive again towards the climax when Nandu, with the support of his foster-father (Somayajulu) attempts to reunite Sandhya and Hari but fails. The last shot, and perhaps the best in the film, shows a Brahmin boy moving hesitatingly towards Hari's body, and wiping the blood with his towel- a superb summing-up of the film's theme. 

 The film is filled with breath-taking dances and Sridevi avails of the opportunity to the fullest, putting her heart and soul into the role. The other outstanding performance comes from Somayajulu as the Brahmin priest caught between his mind that demands change and progress and his heritage which denies them. 

Mithun Chakraborty treats his role with casual indifference. Raakesh Roshan is as usual just there. Rajesh Roshan's music is apt, especially the background score which enhances the mood and appeal of the rich visuals. The film would have been better off without the supernatural element and the comic interludes. And surely the climax need not have been so bloody. All the gore seems out of place in this otherwise colourful celebration of songs, dances, music, religion, culture and love. 

-- Subhash K. Jha, Patna. 

 Best write-up: Rs. 75.