Ayappan with Sridevi: Father and daughter: Lawyer and his superstar daughter

Father's Day 2020

Today, we post an image of superstar Sridevi with her much beloved father, the erstwhile lawyer Ayappan Naidu. Though it was her mother Rajeshwari that often accompanied Sridevi on film sets, Sridevi often said she was extremely close to her dad and his loss was so debilitating, she wanted to quit films altogether.

However, after all the rituals and prayers after his sudden passing, Sridevi returned to the sets of Lamhe, gave one of her most iconic performances, and went on to win one of her four Best Actress Filmfare awards for her stellar turn. 

The film's director and producer Yash Chopra stated that to see her work after such a soul-crushing loss, he finally understood what made Sridevi tick, "the greatest Indian actress he ever worked with," as he told Shahrukh Khan. 

To extract herself from her lowest misery to give a transcendent performance - Sridevi had to return to do a comedy scene during the depths of her depression - Chopra, Waheeda Rehman witnessed the transformative powers of the actress. Years after the fact, they still talk about watching her improv, add layers to the scene... and when the shots were done, go back to her room and cry her heart out. The dedication to her craft and Sridevi's unbelievable work ethic was second to none,

An archive of images of Sridevi with her father Ayappan here.

Sridevi spoke about her father in Stardust, 1988, "One person I truly hero-worshiped was my father. I think I was more fond of my father than my mother. I missed him a lot. Maybe being a lawyer he was busy with his court cases. One day I pestered him to take me along to court. I wanted to see what it would be like. My, what an argumentator he was! Loud and aggressive, hitting out at his opponent, who was actually a good friend of the family. It was nearly an hour and a half later that the case came to an end. And then what do I see? My father walking towards his opponent, putting an arm around his shoulders, laughing with him, like they were the best of friends. I couldn’t quite believe what I saw. How could a man be such a loving father at home and behave so differently outside?

Of course, now I can understand, because I am in a similar situation today. My glamorous image is quite different from the real-life person I am at home. In fact no director has ever projected me even remotely close to my true self in any of my pictures."