Feud: Sridevi with Jaya Prada over the years: The most infamous Bollywood Rivalry between two Indian actresses

Sridevi and Jaya Prada over the years... 

Jaya Prada was a year older than Sridevi and entered Bollywood with a big hit - Sargam in 1979. The film got her glowing reviews and box-office clout... It was also the year Sridevi hit the Hindi belt with Solva Saawan, which tanked and Sridevi didn't get great press for it either. 

Like an arrow being pulled back before hitting the stratosphere and target, Sridevi returned in 1983 with Himmatwala and shot to superstardom - well past her contemporaries and seniors. 

Jaya Prada was considered one of several top actresses in Bollywood... but never the Number One, unlike Sridevi or Rekha, or even Hema Malini... 

The resentment was obvious, the rivalry played out in print. Sadly, it took Sridevi's untimely death to bury the hatchet before Jaya Prada could say anything nice in the media. 

Jaya Prada now politician, is trying rewrite history by stating there was no rivalry between the two, but we have a long, long, long archive of print statements, videoclips where Jaya Prada took shots at Sridevi. 

The net never forgets. 

"Everyone talks of Sridevi, Sridevi, Sridevi. Okay, okay, she's number one to number ten. So what? Jaya Prada is unique. You can't list her," says... Jaya Prada!

Excerpt:

Filmfare: Who do you consider your nearest rival?

Jaya Prada: To be honest, myself. But the name that immediately comes to mind is Sridevi's. I don't know why everybody says there is rivalry between us. It's been blown to such an extent that the two of us can no longer communicate. There's now some insurmountable barrier. It's the press which aggravated the 'rivalry' by constantly providing us reasons to backbite. There is absolutely nothing in common with Sridevi and me except that we both are in films and we speak Telugu at home. I never wanted to be another Sex Symbol. I'd hate to be one. My priorities are different. Even I can't be a a 'sex symbl' of her kind...."

Filmfare: What about your brother Raja Babu's tirade against Sridevi [left]? Is it true that her films are banned in theatres owned by you in the South?

Jaya Prada: Raja Babu was provoked by a statement made by her that I was fit only to play elderly women. I think my brother was right in speaking against Sridevi and what's her business deciding what roles I should play....  her statement gave media more chance to needle me. Such statements are dangerous with gullible producers and harm your career. Like people who kept writing that Jaya Prada has lost to younger actresses..." 

"This business of numbering is irrelevant where actresses are concerned. In 1986, I had as many hits as Sridevi had flops, but nobody called me Number One," 

-- Jaya Prada, Filmfare, 1987

Excerpt: Jaya Prada and Sridevi: Race to the Top

Expressing her contempt for Sridevi, Jaya Prada went on, "There are some actresses who come up through the backing of a particular person. What they call 'recommendation' in Hyderabad. I can proudly claim that I'm not the kind of actress who has come up this way. If I've signed some big films (for instance Sharabi and Jaahil opposite Amitabh) lately, it''s on my own steam, not because of anybody's recommendation."

It is also pointed out that though Sridevi has six films on hand, all of them are with South based units. Five of the six films have Raghavendra Rao as the director and Jeetu as the co-star. The sixth film is Sadma and that too is being made by a Madras based unit (Balu Mahendra's). Sridevi has still to sign a film being made by a Bombay based filmmaker.

But Jaya Prada maintains that on the surface, there are no hostilities between her and Sridevi. "We have worked together in films like Devatha (Telugu). And now that Devatha is being remade in Hindi [Tohfa], both of us will be working in the Hindi version as well. " The fact that the pro-Sridevi director Raghavendra Rao will be calling the shots, does not dampen Jaya Prada's spirits.... 

And she also knows that Jeetendra and Raghavendra Rao are too big to be ignored or rubbed the wrong way. Four years ago, Jaya Prada lost a whole lot of Hindi films being made by Telugu makers, simply because Jeetendra would recommend a Rekha or a Reena. He did one film, Takkar with her and then lost all interest in her. Today, when Rekha and Reena aren't all that hot with the Telugu makers, Jaya Prada is more confident of bagging films with the Hyderabad makers. And she's not going to make any statements that spoil her chances this time. 

As for Sridevi, she's the victor in the Jaani Dost episode and a much bigger star in Telugu films. But she cannot bring herself to retaliate to the insinuations Jaya Prada has made against her. But she did clarify a few things. "I have no idea why the 'other actress' is not there in the Hindni version (Jaani Dost) of Advi Simhalu. I didn't ask the makers to tell me the reason because this is none of my business.

"Admittedly, my voice was dubbed in Himmatwala because I didn't know a word of Hindi. But I have a better hold on the language now. My second release is Sadma, for which I'm doing the complete dubbing myself. In fact, Balu Mahendra absolutely insists that only my voice should be used. For the film. Kamalahasan has sung a song himself and this song required me to speak quite a few lines in Hindi, which I did. the song has been recorded. So I can't be all that bad. But I admit that my knowledge of Hindi is not too good even now.

"It is true that K. Raghavendra Rao and Jeetendra have been encouraging me a lot. More than me, it is they who had the confidence that I would be accepted by the Hindi audience. And looking at the way Himmatwala has been received, they want to play up the Jeetendra-Sridevi team. So, we have more films together now.

"Allegations about my not being a good actress have been made in the past too. All I have to say on this is, wait till you see Sadma."

But its really amusing to note that both the actresses don't mention each other by name, each is smug in the knowledge that she is much above the other to take notice of the other's existence. One is the bigger star and the other is the better actress.

That's reason enough to feel contemptuous of each other isn't it?

Harmeet Kathur, October 1983, Filmfare. 

Jaya Prada's brother, the infamous Raja Babu, was also notorious for taking potshots at Sridevi throughout the 1980s in film magazines. His criticism of her was far more blatant in Tamil and Telugu tabloids and his actions - restricting showing Sridevi films in cinemas owned by him - was detrimental to only one person; himself. Sridevi's successful films ran well in a multitude of other cinema halls while he foolishly lost out on a lot of money back then by banning her movies. Eventually the tides turned as when Jaya Prada produced a film (Majaal), she had to get Jeetendra and Sridevi to ensure a strong opening. In Bollywood, there are no permanent enemies... or friends! 

Stardust: Dear Sridevi, Your rivalry with Jaya Prada, is really too much. Despite her efforts to make up with you, you still resent her and continue to hate her. I believe that you stretched your ego clashes so far that you sulked and fought for top billing for the film Majaal in which you are a co-star with Jaya Prada. Isn't it foolish and downright petty for a top star like you to stoop so low and fuel a cold war? 

Jivraj Verma. Poona 

Sridevi: "Yes, I'm aware of the cold war between Jaya Prada and me, because people have been going on and on about it. The world has been right in thinking that Jaya Prada and I are not friends, because I am in the industry to work and not to socialise. Once the camera is switched off, I acknowledge no other presences, but mine. But please, I don't hate her, because if I were to sit hating a person it would mean attaching too much importance and Jaya Prada is certainly not worth it. Contrary to public opinion, Sridevi doesn't have to fight for top billing, she gets it, because the audience knows that she deserveds higher billing than Jaya Prada." 

March 1987, Stardust