Sridevi in white...
Morphing images of Sridevi - from a shoot she did back in the early 1980s in Bollywood
You can see the full gallery of images of Sridevi in white - shot by the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha - here in the archive.
The most comprehensive fan blog dedicated to India's most beautiful and greatest actress of all-time (in our humble opine!), Sridevi. Sridevi aka Sreedevi, ruled Indian cinema (with awesome performances in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films) in a career spanning 50 incredible years featuring 266 films. Born in Sivakasi on August 13 1963, her untimely and tragic death on February 24, 2018 left a nation in mourning. In our hearts, she'll forever be, the eternal Queen of Bollywood.
Thursday, 31 March 2022
Honouring Sridevi's father in Cine Blitz
CB honoured Sridevi's father when he suddenly passed while she was in London, shooting for Lamhe.
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
(Not that-)Deep Fake Video of Janhvi Kapoor and Sridevi
(Not that-)Deep Fake Video of Janhvi Kapoor and Sridevi
This speech by Janhvi Kapoor was spoken months after Sridevi's tragic passing. Sridevi's reaction shots are those she had for a fan speech made by Alia Bhatt back in Feb 2018. Clever clogs with an editing app have fused together disparate events and moments to create a not-that-deep fake clip...
The intention... well, the sentiment might be there but the result is slightly terrifying. If an amateur fanatic online can create this fake video, imagine what else can be done by professionals... How history can be rewritten, how reality can be fudged, how the truth can be bent towards whatever agenda... and this widely distributed.
See, a time will come when the truth won't matter.. or am I being naïve?
The truth already doesn't matter.
Nothing mellow about these yellow saris: Janvhi Kapoor and Sridevi
Tuesday, 29 March 2022
One of Sridevi's rare guest appearances: Aasman se Gira
Aasman Se Gira (1992): Sridevi's memorable guest appearance in a children's film (which she did just for director Pankaj Parashar (he who helped her get a Best Actress award for Chaalbaaz).
Movie is... awful. Saw it just for Sri'... obv
Monday, 28 March 2022
TBT: Rare pics: Sridevi and Boney Kapoor: Jan 1997
At the wedding ceremony of Anita, daughter of Manjula and Vijayakumar
Rare pic: Sridevi and Jeetendra in Himmatwala (1983)
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| Sridevi, 20, with Jeetendra, 41 |
The film marked the unique and popular dancing style of Jeetendra and Sridevi in the 1980s with over a dozen films - most hits - that made them an iconic pairing in Bollywood.
Here, a rare pic from their first smash hit together, Himmatwala (1983).
- Our archive of Himmatwala here.
- 100s of pics of Jeetendra with Sridevi here
- The hits and flops of Jeetendra and Sridevi listed here
Sunday, 27 March 2022
Sridevi and Salman Khan: The bride and Groom
Sridevi and Salman Khan as bride and groom on film.
In another parallel universe...
Shouldn't Sridevi have an Oscar for her 50 years on film?
Over 200 original movies in Sridevi's vast repertoire in mulitple languages, a lifetime dedicated to the art of cinema, she did it all...
As her swansong confirmed, Sridevi's talent and gifts bordered on the infinite. She remained endearing and watchable - and the audience was left wanting more.
Thinking of Sridevi today as the Oscars are about to air.... One of the few trophies she never received in her lifetime... but perhaps posthumously?!
But then the Academy is seriously myopic. Honouring Americans mostly - the world and her supernovas are... secondary.
Saturday, 26 March 2022
Sridevi in purple: Cute but a fake image nevertheless
Sridevi in purple: Cute but a fake image nevertheless.
The face, the hair has been 'yassified' - an app on social media that has reworked Sridevi's look.
Be wary of fake images of Sridevi that go viral online.
Return of Sex and Glamour: Sridevi: Showtime's inaugural issue
Return of Sex and Glamour: Sridevi: Showtime's inaugural issue!
Stardust magazine's poorer cousin, Showtime was launched as a gossipy film rag that featured both film and television stars. But unlike other mags, there were few exclusive covers or scoops. Magazine folded in the 90s. The glory days of glossy film rags dwindling away annually...
Sridevi and Sunny Deol
The North and South superstars appeared in half a dozen films, many successful, but the shy people behind the larger-than-life personas were not too fond of each other.
Fortunately for fans, that didn't translate on-screen. Both appeared in many rom coms together despite an obvious rift between them.
Friday, 25 March 2022
Flashback Friday: Jackie Shroff and Sridevi for Aura magazine: A classic centrefold
TBT: Jackie Shroff with Sridevi - a cover shoot for Aura magazine.
Internet killed the traditional magazine publishing industry. Why pay for month ol' news when its online - and free?! It's an oversimplification yes, but not far from the truth.
The net also bent-at-the-knee the audio industry (quick - when was the last time you bought a CD?!).
As Stardust and Cine Blitz circles the drain (the magazines are losing credibility, audience and quality rapidly), we bemoan the loss of other fun film glossies such as;
- MOVIE magazine
- g magazine
- Tinsel Town
- Star & Style
- Showtime
- Aura
- Zee Premier
- Gladrags
- The Illustrated Weekly (mostly a political mag that often did Film cover stories)
- FilmIndia
28 years of Laadla: Sridevi, Raveena Tandon and Anil Kapoor's 90s blockbuster
The seventh biggest hit of 1994, Laadla was a blockbuster that few expected. Esp after Sridevi was written off by a lottttttttt of media and magazine editors. It was a tour-de-force performance by the "singular sensation" that was/is Sridevi.
Only the actresses - Sridevi and Raveena - were recognised by critics as both garnered nominations - Anil Kapoor's role and mcp-act... does not age well. And that dreadful ending....
But for Sridevi fans, its a film to note. Sridevi is brimstone and fire in the movie - a complete scene stealer. Even her co-stars were left in awe.
"I got an opportunity to work with Sridevi in Laadla (1994)," says Raveena Tandon*. "It was from there on that our friendship began. She was shy, soft-spoken and gentle. She hardly spoke. So people were surprised watching us get along like a house on fire. We spent time chatting in each others' vanity vans."
"She was a warm and lovely person. Her child-like innocence was unbelievable. I realised people had misunderstood her. As an actor, she was larger than life. She owned every scene that she walked into. She was an ace dancer, sensuous and magnificent.
As a child, I remember standing in front of the mirror and imitating Sridevijís dance steps from Mr. India, Lamhe and ChaalBaaz. I saw her in person for the first time while she was dancing on a rain song on the set of Nazrana (1987), a film directed by my father (Ravi Tandon). She looked so stunning, I was mesmerised by her."
Laadla is such standard 90s Bollywood fare... without Sridevi's spitfire presence. The songs are pretty average - not a single one made it to the Number One slot - back in the days of Binaca Geetmala where we all waited with baited breath to see what was 'the' song of the week/month/year...
The trophy pic above is such a sign of the times. Back in the day, when success of a film was measured by not only box-office returns but duration in cinemas... The 100 day Trophy.
Now its 100 crore clubs, viewership data (malleable figures with zero accountancy and accuracy). At least pre-90s, you knew when a movie was a hit or a bona fide blockbuster by the masses queuing up outside theatres....
Now its anyone's game...
Team Laadla should be celebrating - 28 years!
Our massive archive - over 50 posts - of Laadla related images and features here.
* Quote from Raveena Tandon's interview with Times of India back in March 2018.
Rare Pic: Sridevi with her daughter and niece: Janhvi Kapoor and Asmitha Sanjay
Below: The kids all grown up today
Thursday, 24 March 2022
TBT: Sridevi models for Emami Vanishing Cream: 1992
As the ad reads, "Good news for Sridevi fans. All 1992 dates of Sridevi given to NEW Emami Vanishing Cream."
Wednesday, 23 March 2022
TBT: This critique of Sridevi's singing for Chandni back in 1989: Sri joins the Off-Key Club!
Fandom isn't slavery. We are hardcore Sridevi fans - obv - that run this site and FB fan club but it doesn't mean we are immune to Sridevi's goofs either. There are smatterings of bad film choices, wardrobe malfunctions and makeup frights, leaving amazing films for questionable reasons and a few political affiliations that made us frown.
We also had a billion reasons to love her - as she indeed was one in a billion.
We aren't looking for a saint, we're looking at the actress Sridevi was - and entirely in a league of her own.
So its tough but not impossible to write a critique of her films, performances, roles, choices on screen... Though, we mostly choose not to.
However, her singing... hmm.
During the peak of her fame in 1989, we had difficulty digesting the title song of Chandni by its otherwise scintillating leading lady. The critics back then had a field day. Excerpt from Filmfare;
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Sri joins the Off-Key Club!
Excerpt: "Sridevi's' attempt at 'singing' , excuse me while I splutter.. in Chandni meri Chandni reminds you how skilled Sharda, Hemlata, Shabbir and the other members of the off-key club are."
In later years, even Sridevi had a good laugh at the error of her ways, be it in song or film, dance or costume. We all gotta take the 80s with a pinch of salt...
Ah its ok. Aaakhir Chaand main bhi daag hai...
Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan in Aar Paar, the Hindi tabloid
They may have worked in less than half a dozen films together, but early on they were placed next to each other as icons of the industry in many a mag; Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan star on the cover of the Hindi tabloid Aar Paar.
Sridevi's look from the song Darwaza khula rakhna in Chand Ka Tukda.
Tuesday, 22 March 2022
Monday, 21 March 2022
Fans flood Filmfare with letters praising Sridevi
When fan letters had a bit more sense than film journalists in the 80s;
Postscripts:
Top notcher
You are fully justified in putting Sridevi on your cover (Nov 16-30). She richly deserves the treatment you gave her. Starting her career in Malayalam films, she has, by sheer determination, will-power and dedication, risen to be India's Number One female star. Success has added a new glow to her beautiful eyes, honed her acting and dancing talent and smoothened the rough edges in her personality. Though Nagina and Mr.India have taken her to the pinnacle of stardom, she should be choosy about the films she accepts, lest she should crash from the height she has attained.
B.N. Bose, Jamsehdpur
Good decision
It was heartening to know that at least one heroine has shown the guts to refuse a film opposite Amitabh because her role was insignificant. With Amitabh's ascent to the top, from Zanjeer in 1973 to Aakhree Raasta, the heroine has been progressively downgraded and reduced to the level of a dumb-headed sex symbol. Shokingly, the new breed of heroines fell over one another to grab one-scene roles just to be paired with Amitabh. The only exceptions were Shabana Azmi and the late Smita Patil.
One hopes that with Sridevi the era of respectable heroines returns.
Nutan, Meena Kunari, Nargis, Madhubala and Vyjanthimala never played cheap, insignificant roles even if they were cast opposite top heroes of their time like Ashok Kumar, Raj Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand. In fact, these heroines were capable of carrying a film on their own steam.
Sridevi is definitely moving in the right direction. If she sticks to her guns and succeeds in changing the style and pattern of current Hindi films. I am sure her name will go down in the history of Hindi cinema in letters of gold.
R.R. Bangadiwala. Ahmedabad.
Raw deal
I really do not understand what prompted the North Indian press to underestimate the talents of Sridevi. It is unfortunate that she has not offered any role worth mentioning, till recently. Even her much appreciated roles in Nagina and Mr. India only brought out a shadow of her talent. The glamorous roles she played only tested her stamina and ability to perform PT exercises. Though, to her credit, she acquitted them with grace and poise.
On the other hand, her roles in Tamil films like Moondru Mudichu, Sigappu Rojakkal, Pagalil Oru Nailavu, Meendum Kokila, Varunmiyin Nirma Sigappu, Moondram Pirai and Johnny were excellent, and her performances brilliant.
In most of the films mentioned above, her co-star was Kamal Haasan and they made an excellent pair. Hindi film-makers can be (dis) credited with separating their pair and giving a raw deal.
Happy Birthday Rani Mukerji: Sridevi on stage with Rani, Shatrughan Singha
The images and clip here from 2005
We have a huge archive of images of Sridevi with Rani here - including some rare pics that many haven't seen often.
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Sunday, 20 March 2022
Sridevi in the Tamil costume drama Deiva Thirumanangal (1981)
Sridevi in the Tamil costume drama Deiva Thirumanangal (1981)
Sridevi: Insta glitz'd up
Call me crazy, but we prefer the original. Why the kira kira... oyve
The original image of Sridevi shot by the late great Gautam da...
You can see the full set of pics in earlier post here.
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