Sridevi: Sridevi and Cine Blitz: Her first to last cover with the iconic Bollywood film magazine

Monday, 24 May 2021

Sridevi and Cine Blitz: Her first to last cover with the iconic Bollywood film magazine

Sridevi and Cine Blitz magazine go waaaaaaaaaaaaay back!

As a newcomer to Bollywood, Sridevi shared the cover with her first (and frequent) co-star Jeetendra in December 1983 - after the pair become the most successful duo at the box-office. Back in 1983 Bollywood, it was a steady stream of box-office smashes from the "Madras film factory" as the two stars churned out film after film. Truth be told, the movies were roasted by the critics, loved by the masses. As Jeetendra said on Kapil Sharma's show, his only intention was to make money - for himself, his co-stars and his producers. The critics be damned!

Sridevi's last cover with the glossy magazine was in October 2012 - on the eve of English Vinglish's release across India. Considering the long, long association the superstar had with the magazine, they should have gone through the archives for a special edition, considering how many exclusive shoots she did for the publication in its storied history. But then, her untimely death was such a shock - it was a mad dash to hit print deadlines I'm sure with whatever resources available to them.

This might be the definitive list of Sridevi's Cine Blitz covers from beginning to (tragic) end. Note, she was on the cover annually* (*except in 1995), when she was working in Bollywood. Sometimes more than once in the same year - such was her star power and aura.

The famed editor-in-chief, Rita Mehta ensured extremely glamorous covers - as she wanted to present stars as enigmatic beings, not the girl/guy next door. During the hey-day of the 1980s in particular, the glossy shone in newsstands - star wattage, high-fashion, pure glamour, the glitz of the Blitz....

Loved buying - and collecting the magazine. Nostalgic for the era-gone by... As we are when we reflect on Sridevi herself.