Has Sridevi reached the Zenith of her career?

In the summer of 1988, when Sridevi was just 25, just five years into the Hindi film industry, the media was asking, "Has Sridevi reached the zenith of her career?" By then, she was already a pan-Indian superstar with box-office hits, stellar performances and ever-growing fame that swept beyond borders. 

Little did the myopic writer/editor know the best was yet to come - I mean this was before Chandni, Lamhe, Khuda Gawah, English Vinglish... and on and on and on... 

Many star-actors have a pinnacle, and everything else is a watered down version of that original performance. If Rekha peaked at Umrao Jaan, by the time she was doing yet another mujra in Yatra in 2006, it was a faded avatar of her original performance. The song and dance routines that were the apex of Madhuri Dixit's career in the blockbuster Hum Aapke Hain Kaun..., till date, producers and directors have been giving her routines that are a shade lesser than the original technicolour vision of the Barjatyas. 

With Sridevi, it always felt her best was yet to come. Like watching Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar, Alaap, Zanjeer, Black, Pink...,, its incredible that Big B is still bettering his only competition, his past self. Like Bachchan Snr, there was no end to Sridevi's infinite spools of talent. Yash Chopra told Shahrukh Khan that Sridevi was the most exciting actress he had ever worked with as there was no end to her vast range. Just recently saw Kalki and at 81, Bachchan is still knocking it out of the park. He out Gandolfed, Gandolf! Sridevi was still a contender with, what eventually, and tragically, became her unexpected swansong, Mom. What other performances were still within her... alas, we'll never know. 

Truly a once in an era kind of supernova.