Sridevi

Sridevi and this embroidered over coat

Sridevi.

Legend. 

The day Shahrukh Khan asked Sridevi if he can hug her

The time Shahrukh Khan fanned out on meeting Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi...

Sridevi with Sonam Kapoor

Two Fashionistas

Sridevi with Sonam Kapoor back in May 2012 looking ultra glamorous and gorgeous in their Indian designer attire.

Both were at the opening of Park Hyatt in the city of Hyderabad. The launch saw many film personalities attend but all eyes were on Sridevi who looked gorgeous in a embroidered lace, white and red dipped saree designed by Manish Malhotra. Sonam Kapoor opted for an Anamika Khanna outfit.

Familiar to the city having shot several films in Hyderabad, Sridevi looked like she was having a great time and comfortable enough to speak to several media outlets, all inquiring about her highly anticipated return to films. At the time, summer of 2012, Sri was still keeping mum about what was developing behind the scenes. 😉

May 2012

Update: I understand Sonam Kapoor is a polarizing figure for her off-the-cuff remarks, but having worked with her and her team a few years ago, and having met her briefly when she was in Hong Kong, for the record, Sonam was lovely, charming, kind to the team (we did a cover shoot for Prestige Hong Kong magazine and all reports from the crew were, they loved her!), a wonderful interview and chat and to top it all, she loved Sridevi and Sridevi loved Sonam. We really don't give a damn what you trolls think!

An archive of Sonam Kapoor with Sridevi images, clips, quotes, tweets etc here.

Rajinikanth and Sridevi in Vanakathukuria Kathaliye (1978)

Rajinikanth and Sridevi in the Tamil film Vanakathukuria Kathaliye (1978), 

Sridevi in Vajrayudham (1985): Krishna and Sridevi's Telugu blockbuster!

Sridevi as a village belle in the Telugu film Vajrayudham (1985)

Below: Digital fan art inspired by Sridevi.

Sridevi with one of her most frequent costars, Krishna. 

Above: Krishna with Sridevi

Left: Vajrayudham was dubbed into Hindi as Dil Lagake Dekho and released in the Hindi belt. Trying to cash in on Sridevi's pan-Indian popularity, she dominated the posters of the film. 

Sridevi with Raakhee Punjabi

Sridevi with socialite Raakhee Punjabi. 

Fans who go overboard: Photographers who go overboard with Retouching

Left: The original portrait released by Pavitr Saith photography of Sridevi on the sets of English Vinglish
Right: The over retouched, face tuned, whitened image on Instagram by "fans".




There are two Instagram accounts in particular that do such over-editing and face tuning on otherwise perfectly fine portraits of Sridevi, we've had to block them. They do such a bad job but the frequency of likes and followers emboldens them to keep re-working images of Sridevi and ruining them on such heinous levels... its horrifying.

But we aren't throwing a rock at this Insta account for we know, we'll be trolled.

To refer to this quote from one of the all-time great photographers, Peter Lindbergh, "Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century... When you can sign on to the idea that there cannot be beauty without truth, the answer is clear. How crazy and unreal is the idea of erasing all your experiences from your face?"

Left:  The original pic, Right: The fan face-tuned pic of Sridevi from 1985.

Sridevi in white

What a view... Sridevi! 

Sridevi with her children

Sridevi with her daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor.

Below: Two nights before... 

Sridevi with designer and her best friend Manish Malhotra and youngest daughter Khushi Kapoor

Sridevi on the sets of an Advert

Sridevi on the sets of an advertisement for.. some water purifying brand. 

Shot by Dabboo Ratnani.

Sridevi in her penultimate Tamil film Naan Adimai Illai (1986)

Sridevi in her penultimate Tamil film Naan Adimai Illai (1986).  

Released on 1 March 1986, Sridevi took a long break from Tamil films for a whopping 29 years before returning on Tamil screens in Puli (2015). 

Rare stills of Sridevi on the sets of the Telugu film Pachani Kapuram (1985)

Sridevi on the sets of the Telugu film Pachani Kapuram (1985). She had a similar look in Karma (1986) which we tagged this as - but a fan corrected us with evidence. Thank you! We are trying to be the most accurate, informative, entertaining fan site dedicated to the last great Indian actress of our time. 

TBT: Sridevi and young Janhvi Kapoor at Karishma Kapoor's mehendi ceremony

 

TBT: Sridevi and young Janhvi Kapoor at Karishma Kapoor's mehendi ceremony.

Karishma Kapoor and Sridevi were friends and Karishma famously acted in Sridevi produced film Shakti. 

Today, is Karishma Kapoor's 46th birthday - the actress was born on June 25, 1974. 

September 2003

Who would have won Best Actress at Filmfare 1986? Sridevi in Nagina or Shabana Azmi in Anjuman?

In 1986 and 1987 there was no Filmfare Award show held and some mega-films, performances where not rewarded with the recognition they deserved by industry peers, pundits and critics.

This was a time when awards were somewhat given by meritocracy not addled with the pressure of TRP ratings, advertisers and there wasn't a glut of other similar award shows. Winning a Filmfare award meant something back then. 

Every media outlet now has its own version of awards and they seem so mundane... When you hear that Shahrukh Khan has 25 awards or some such absurd number (in random BS categories like Entertainer of the Year, Face of the Year, Couple of the Year, Scene of the Year... I mean, each passing new year they are making up categories to award, in particular, the Khan-trifecta, the only way to guarantee their attendance and viewership ratings). BTW even the actors bemoan the categories and recognise the sham they are a part of !

For most Sridevi Hindi film fans in particular, Sridevi not getting awards for two of her most iconic films, Nagina and Mr India, is a matter of personal affront! Blind fanatics - sometimes we are that we admit- forget that there were other memorable performances in 86 and 87 too.

Would Sridevi have won that year? She was competing with legends such as Rekha, Hema Malini, Shabana Azmi. If you see Chameli ke Shaadi, Amrita Singh is... INCREDIBLE! Her comic timing and natural performance stays with you long after.

Sridevi's Nagina performance is... a glittering gem in her crown, and a box-office blockbuster to boot. However, at the time, awards were not telecast, critics (who were not always kind to Sridevi in the early years in particular in Mumbai) gave them to parallel cinema darlings like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patel (there was a year with Shabana Azmi had a record five nominations all to herself!).

So though it seems obvious now, in hindsight, back then, it was an unpredictable gamble as to who would win or wouldn't. Don't forget a film like Sholay won ONE award - every other category it was nominated for left empty handed. So who know what Nagina's fate could have been during awards night? Box office hits were not given awards and slow-burn parallel films won the trophies. Depending on judge and jury, believe it or not, back then, I have an inkling Sridevi would not have turned up to the show, nor would she have won as Shabana Azmi had a firm grip on critical acclaim. 

If its any consolation, Sridevi back then didn't care much for awards, but box-office. 20-something Sridevi was about building a long-lasting career. 

Q: Jaya Pradha and Jayasudha have won recognition and awards as actresses. What do you think of their success?

Sridevi: Everyone who seeks recognition and rewards gets recognition and rewards. I was looking for love and popularity and I received love and popularity. I am also capable of good performances, such as in the film Sadma. And I also, from time to time, receive awards for my work, for example, for the film Meendum Kokila again. But my father loves films like Himmatwala and that's why I act in them.

\

The High Priestess of Fashion: Sridevi

Sridevi on the sets of a magazine shoot - published in Verve on October 2017.

You can see the entire shoot in our archives here.

Feel better Masterji: Saroj Khan admitted to hospital

Praying for the speedy recovery of Bollywood's master choreographer Saroj Khan (71). She has been taken ill and is in hospital.

Sridevi seen here with Sarojji on the sets of Lamhe.

A lot has been said and written about the tumultuous relationship between dancer and choreographer - but any enduring friendship that spans decades has a lot of ups and downs.

Sridevi absolutely loved Saroj Khan and vice versa. They've spoken at length about the other. A few tiffs here and there don't ruin mature relationships!

 Saroj Khan will also be considered as the forerunner for elevating the dance form in film; take any major number in the past four or five decades, chances are Sarojji directed them.

Sunny Deol and Sridevi

Above: The fictional romance between Bollywood's leading superstars Sridevi and Sunny Deol on screen.

Below: Closer to the reality of the froideur the two shared off screen.

Good acting on all accounts.

There's this foolish and quixotic notion that all actors have to get along and be besties - I'm sure its helpful - but its often not even remotely true. Many stars shared no chemistry off screen but created magic on screen.

None of us realised how frosty the relationship was between Sunny Deol and Sridevi until he spoke out against her on Aap Ki Adaalat, in interviews in Filmfare magazine and other media outlets.

Fortunately the films and their on-screen romance will endure, a few off colour remarks won't.

Decoding the Enigma: Sridevi

The Week magazine's review of Sridevi's biography.

Meenakshi Seshadri with Sridevi

Rare pic of Meenakshi Seshadri with Sridevi at the silver jubilee party of Nagina.

The walls at YRF Studio are wallpapered with images of Sridevi: Eternal Chandni (1989)

This wallpaper of Sridevi in and as Chandni... is stunning. So was she in the movie.

Images from Mere Haathon Main give us a nostalgia trip like no other!

The most iconic song / image / look / dance / performance by an Indian actress in a Bollywood film... Sridevi in and as Chandni. Forever.

Yash Chopra said, "Sridevi is such a good actress that she merged into the character of my heroine Chandni. She made the character overpower her star image. That is her biggest asset. Imagine an actress from the south has become a living character in the north! Now you have Chandni sarees, salwar kameez and even chudiyan."