Before Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra and Neeta Lulla, Sridevi wore Xerxes Bhathena

Before Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra and Neeta Lulla, Sridevi had Xerxes Bhathena design some of her most memorable costumes in Hindi films; most notably in Mr. India and Sultanat. 

This elegant white and gold ensemble was done by him for one of Sridevi's best photoshoots in the early 90s. 

Xerxes was a great interview, a journalist's delight as he was not PC and called a spade a spade. Unlike media savvy designers of today who would never take names, Xerxes let 'em have it! 

Here's an excerpt from MOVIE magazine 1993 annual;

"...My stars are very conscious about what's the latest in fashion. Especially Sridevi. Madhuri is a little negligent. She has the knowledge but she doesn't devote enough time to her clothes. She's not a Sheeba who doesn't know the abc of fashion , who believes only in exposing. Imagine Sheeba still wears nylon. I'd rather die than design for a Sheeba or a Mamta [Kulkarni]. 

"Coming back to Madhuri, I feel black and white suits her the best. Like Sridevi, looks most fetching in white.

"I will not work with somebody like Rekha who doesn't rely on me, totally and tells me which fabric to buy or which type of accessory she wants. As for directors, one doesn't get a Ramesh Sippy everyday. You have to work with buffoons these days like Dasari Narayan Rao where you have to start  with their education. 

Dimple is in Raakhee's bracket today and has all the time to hang out with designers and take trouble over her clothes. Like Jaya Bachchan, she's got all the time in the world and designers hanging around her all the time, wrapped around her finger. She looks like a Kathakali dancer when she comes on stage to take an award for whosoever. 

"Whatever Sridevi wears, she wears with style. Even if you put her in an absurd outfit from Gurjari, she'll not look like Smita Patil or Shabana. She's glamour, man. She'll never look impoverished. 

"My greats are Sridevi, Madhuri and the queen of queens, Hema Malini. Among the designers, I admire Bhanu Athaiya. Both, Neeta [Lulla] and Anna [Singh] do show a lot of promise. But they have a long way to go."

• Archive of images of Sridevi wearing Xerxes Bhathena outfits here.
• Archive of images of Sridevi in Sultanat here.
• Archive of images of Sridevi in Mr.India here.

Below: Sridevi's iconic gown, crown and feathered accessories as Ms Hawa Hawaii in Mr.India

Above: Sridevi's embellished and bejewelled look for a dance in Sultanat (1986)