Hair apparent: Rekha, Sridevi, to Kajol and Divya: Sari styling in Bollywood

Ah the leading ladies of Bollywood; all draped in traditional saris with modern fabrics, colour schemes, print and novel takes on the blouse. Chapters of Hindi cinema can be defined by these amazing women on film; Rekha, Reena Roy, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Meenakshi, Jaya Prada, Kajol, Karishma Kapoor and the brief and impactful time of Divya Bharti. 

 

Sridevi, Prem Chopra and Jeetendra in Mawaali: The Hitmakers: 17 films of Sridevi and Jeetendra

Critics be damned, Sridevi and Jeetendra had far more hits than flops despite an unbeatable run of bad reviews by many a poison pen! The Madras movie remake factory churned out the films in rapid succession, almost all breaking even and majority being major box-office successes. In the early 1980s, the top draws and money makers were all Jeetendra films with a turnstile of ever-changing actresses ranging from Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Rekha, Hema Malini, Reena Roy and later with Bhanupriya and others. 

The top films of Sridevi and Jeetendra were;

No.	Name of Film	Year	Hit/Flop
1	Himmatwala	1983	Hit
2	Jaani Dost	1983	Hit
3	Justice Chaudhury	1983	Hit
4	Mawaali	1983	Hit
5	Tohfa	1984	Hit
6	Maqsad	1984	Hit
7	Akalmand	1984	Flop
8	Balidaan	1985	Hit
9	Sarfarosh	1985	Flop
10	Ghar Sansar	1986	Hit
11	Dharm Adhikari	1986	Hit
12	Aag Aur Shola	1986	Flop
13	Suhaagan	1986	Hit
14	Aulad	1987	Hit
15	Majaal	1987	Flop
16	Himmat Aur Mehanat	1987	Flop
17	Sone Pe Suhaaga	1988	Hit

They started off with a hit together and ended with one. Movies need not be life-affirming, profound exercises in art, motion and magic - sometimes, they can be just good fun to ease the daily burden of life - and these two stellar stars provided ample entertainment to a nation and generation. For that, we are all collectively thankful. 

Jeetendra, "I have done 15 or so films with Sri. Her sincerity and her inborn gift for acting brought her forward. She has carried herself very well and to this day, one cannot guess how old she is though she has been playing the heroine for the last 12 years. It could be a case of overexposure but somehow she has changed her look and dress-sense to keep pace with the times. Her films like Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Chandra Mukhi may have come in for a lot of criticism but no one had a bad word to say about Sri’s performances." 

-- April 1994, Filmfare.

25 Films of Kamal Haasan and Sridevi: The Hits: The Flops: The Unreleased: The Incomplete: The Dubbed!

 

Film List

No.	Film	Year		Dubbed	Hit/Flop
1	Moondru Mudichu	1976	Tamil	No	Hit
2	16 Vayathinile	1977	Tamil	No	Hit
3	Nirakudam	1977	Malayalam	No	Flop
4	Aasheervaadam	1977	Malayalam	No	Flop
5	Aadhya Paadam	1977	Malayalam	No	Flop
6	Satyavan Savithri	1977	Malayalam	No	Flop
7	Kalyana Raman	1979	Tamil	No	Hit
8	Neeka Malargal	1979	Tamil	No	Flop
9	Sigapukal Mookuthi	1979	Tamil	No	Hit
10	Thaayillamal Naan Illai	1979	Tamil	No	Hit
11	Manitharil Ithanai Nirangala	1978	Tamil	No	Flop
12	Kuttavum Shikshayum	1978	Malayalam	No	Flop
13	Sigapu Rojakkal	1978	Tamil	No	Hit
14	Varumaiyin Niram Sivapu	1980	Tamil	Yes (Aakali Rajyam)	Hit
15	Guru	1980	Tamil	No	Flop
16	Aakali Rajyam	1981	Telugu	No	Hit
17	Meendum Kokila	1981	Tamil	No	Hit
18	Sankarlal	1981	Tamil	No	Flop
19	Vazhvey Maayam	1982	Tamil	No	Hit
20	Moondram Pirai	1982	Tamil	No	Hit
21	Andhagaadu	1982	Telugu	No	Flop
22	Sadma	1983	Hindi	Remake	Hit
23	Khabardar	1984	Hindi	No	Flop
24	Aakhri Sangram	1984	Hindi	Yes (Thaayillamal)	Flop
25	Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnulu	1986	Telugu	No	Flop

 

 

Eight years her senior and an established star by the time Sridevi worked with him in their first film together in 1976 when she was but a teen, the magical pairing of Kamal Haasan and Sridevi resulted in an intermittent mix of the brilliant and the bad, the beautiful and the base, movies of great critical acclaim and box office, plus a dose of films both hated (Kamal Haasan esp was very vocal when it came to films he didn't like especially if he was in them!). 

About 25 films together, in four languages (the mere dubbed films we aren't counting as separate!), the enduring legacy will live on forever as there was a magical alchemy between the two super stars and superb actors. A healthy sense of competition and upmanship that both talked about in interviews. Their films, performances, and experiments in genre were fueled by the desire to do better than the past, be it in critical acclaim or box-office performance. By the 1980s, the producers and directors were too in awe of their stardom and fan base to give them both equal footage and meaty roles. The number of films where Kamal Haasan walked away with the awards and Sridevi was left with nominations, though never stated on record, must have bothered the star and her camp inadvertently.

Even Kamal Haasan's attempts to reunite on screen were thumbed down by Sridevi. Legend has it they were still talking about doing another film together and polymath Haasan (writer, director, choreographer, singer, actor!) had said that eventually he'd convince Sridevi to do a Tamil film with him - alas cruel fate stepped in instead. 

It's been a pleasure to find some of their vintage movies on Amazon Prime, clear copies with subtitles. Like discovering facets of a diamond through new lenses, digging in the archives to find hidden gems for us non-native speakers of the plethora of films they did together. 

Have a bizarre inkling AI will unite them on screen - whether we like it or not.

Sridevi: Getting Ready For an Iconic Dance: Gorgeous, Glittering, Glamorous, Golden Gal

Sridevi: Getting Ready For an Iconic Dance: Gorgeous, Glittering, Glamorous, Golden Gal!

From the sets of Chaand Kaa Tukdaa, Sridevi, 29, gets ready for an iconic song and dance routine, Aaj Raadha Ko Shaam Yaad Aa Gaya. 

 

Teenaged Dream in a Tamil Film: Sridevi

Teenaged Dream in a Tamil Film: Sridevi 

Anyone recognise which movie? 
 

Sridevi

 

Rare pic: Sunny Deol and Sridevi in Nigahein (1989)

Rare pic: Sunny Deol and Sridevi in Nigahein (1989)
 

Gorgeous Sridevi in Telugu film Devatha

Sridevi, 19, as the village belle in Devatha. She looks soooo pretty in the film - of course Bollywood came knocking on her doors soon enough. 

 

Cast and crew of Mr.India: Rare pic: Shekhar Kapur, Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor

Cast and crew of Mr.India: Rare pic: Shekhar Kapur (director), Anil Kapoor (lead), Sridevi (leading lady) and Boney Kapoor (producer). 

Those were the days... think they knew they had a winner at hand. The buzz for the film was unprecedented.

 

The famous Lux advert: Shahrukh Khan with Sridevi and Juhi Chawla

The famous Lux advert: Shahrukh Khan with Sridevi and Juhi Chawla 
 

Both Juhi and Shah were fans of Sridevi of course. 

Plats: Sridevi's go-to hairstyle to de-age!

Sridevi always had a cherub, baby face, but whenever she (or the film) wanted to show a youthful Sridevi, the plats and hoop earrings and the contemporary dresses came out. When she was a teenager, she looked mature (height, long legs, statuesque presence - and gosh if ever a lady was born to wear a sari gracefully, 'twas Sri!). When she was in her late 20s, people assumed she was hitting 40 simply because she had been around for so long and done so many movies. 

BTW it was a formula that seemed to have been followed by other actresses too; be it Madhuri Dixit in parts of Koyla and Prem Granth or Juhi Chawla in her oh-so-cutesy roles, the twin braids/plats whatever you wanna call it, came out! 

Early on Sridevi had to make sure she wasn't bracketed as the older actress - Bollywood is notorious for looking for the next new 'young' 'it' gal and Sridevi was defiant in not being slotted in the the notorious 'didi' (older sister) 'bhabhi' (married wife of older brother), and mother, roles that would start being offered to actresses as soon as they were reaching 30. 

Govinda and Sridevi were the same age, but by the time he did a film with her, Sridevi had already appeared in over 100 films, and Gair Kanooni (the only film they appeared together in) was only his 11th release. False reports of the age gap were published then. The two never worked together after the endless delay in production of that film as professional and punctual Sridevi was working with someone who was famously not (despite his vast talents)!

Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan were just two years younger than Sridevi but when they appeared in films with her, by their own volition and fandom of the actress, Sridevi faced criticism for working with 'younger heroes.' Sridevi's statement, 'I'm not so ancient,' tried to calm the storm, but the failure of films (particularly the unbearable Chaand kaa Tukdaa and Chandra Mukhi) made an editor in Showtime say, "Oh, her time is up!" Sridevi was just 30 when that statement was published BTW. 

Bollywood continues to be youth obsessed - well, only with the leading ladies. The superstars, esp the Khan trifecta, are touching 60 and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of any work for them. Actresses of a certain age find employment only on OTT platforms (Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon!) and occasionally in the West (Tabu!).

The more things change, the more they stay the same... 

Sridevi and Rajinikanth in their last Tamil film together: Naan Adimai Illai

Sridevi and Rajinikanth in their last Tamil film together Naan Adimai Illai, released in 1986. 

A tepid response at the box-office, had it been released post icon status, the box office of the two definitive superstars of Tamil cinema would have been something else! 

 

List of Sridevi and Rajinikanth films;

Hit/Flop Year of Release Name Language Awards Hit 1976 Moondru Mudichu Tamil N/A Hit 1977 Gayathri Tamil N/A Hit 1977 Kavikkuyil Tamil N/A Hit 1977 16 Vayathinile Tamil Kamal Haasan, Best Actor Flop 1978 Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye Tamil N/A Hit 1978 Priya Tamil N/A Flop 1979 Dharma Yuddham Tamil N/A Flop 1979 Thaayillamal Naan Illai Tamil N/A Hit 1980 Johnny Tamil N/A Flop 1980 Ranuva Veeran Tamil N/A Hit 1981 Pokkiri Raja Tamil N/A Hit 1981 Thanikattu Raja Tamil N/A Flop 1983 Adutha Varisu Tamil N/A Hit 1986 Naan Adimai Illai Tamil N/A Flop 1986 Bhagwaan Daada Hindi N/A Hit 1988 Gair Kanooni Hindi N/A Hit 1989 Chaalbaaz Hindi Sridevi, Best Actress Hit 1991 Farishtay Hindi N/A
Of the 20 films above, 11 were blockbusters. For years, Sridevi and Rajinikanth appeared in two films a year on average. One worked, the other didn't - for whatever reason. As its been often said about what the Indian public wants, expects and likes from a film is as unpredictable as ever. A horrific film like Farishtay was despite near-universal bad reviews, the movie more than recuperated its budget. Adhutha Varisu, where Sridevi is superb in a transformative performance, barely recovered it high cost of film production. As the box-office figures reveal, every hit or flop is a matter of... ah, go figure!				We've had to rely on the internet collective on the above list - facts and figures may vary on what was and wasn't a success. As with everything related to film journalism, take it with a pinch of salt!

Sridevi in Pachani Kapuram (1985)

 

Sridevi, 22, in the Telugu film Pachani Kapuram (1985). 

The pose - young Sridevi was rocking 1980s fashion and already the biggest star in the country. The media had declared her as the Number One pan-Indian National superstar with successful films in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films running in the cinema across the country. 

Pooja ya Pallavi? Sridevi's double dhamaal in Lamhe

 

The subtle touch of how differently they ate their meals... 

Glorious Sridevi in Lamhe. 

Jaya Prada: Turning a Blind Eye to Sridevi's Superstardom

Found the above two pics so amusing, Jaya's eyes shut in every shot. Jaya Prada: Turning a Blind Eye to Sridevi's Superstardom! 

She can try to rewrite history as much as she likes but we recall all the things she (and her brother said) about Sridevi. Well, she finally made up with Sridevi in her later years but we never forget. 

They really were great actresses, rarely did the audience know what went on behind the scenes till years later! 

Gorgeous Sridevi in Nigahein

Today, we're just posting images of Sridevi in Christmas colours. 

The reason I loved watching Nigahein - Sridevi looked soooo beautiful in the movie. In every single frame.

Sridevi in Red on the cover of Telugu magazine

 

Sridevi in red on the cover of Telugu magazine. Though this came out in 1987, it was shot years ago in 1983 from the sets of the film Sandhippu. 

You can see more from this shoot in earlier post here.

 

Sridevi in and as Chandni: Lady in Red!

Sridevi in and as Chandni: Lady in Red! 

Such a gorgeous wedding look. 
 

Sridevi and Anil Kapoor: Happy Birthday Anil Kapoor

They worked together in 12 films together and ended up being family; Happy Birthday Anil Kapoor. At age 68, he's going stronger than ever. Health and fitness goals from grandpa Kapoor (Sonam has a kid remember?!). 

 

The famed yellow sari: A Sridevi style staple

It wasn't the colour yellow per se (or blue, white or red!) but the monochrome, clean look that Sridevi loved to project on the big screen. The famed yellow sari of Chandni was a fashion moment but as we've displayed in the archive here with 80 posts, Sridevi often wore the sunshine coloured sari on screen--and off. Ever-radiant, it suited her skin tone and she shone bright. 

Happy Birthday Anil Kapoor! Sridevi's frequent co-star and eventual brother-in-law

Happy Birthday Anil Kapoor! Sridevi's frequent co-star and eventual brother-in-law turns a year younger! 

In his incredibly diverse career, he's worked with every major leading lady in Bollywood. Unlike any other actor in the history of Indian cinema, he has worked in several films where his female co-star, leading lady had a better role, more scope to perform and he didn't interfere to ensure he got a better deal. The overall movie mattered more than his own personal spotlight. Longevity, acuity, skill - Anil Kapoor is one of the finest actors who had his Icarus moment in the 80s, fell, and rose again steadily. You can't pull a good man down, especially not an actor of his caliber. We wish the actor well on his 68th birthday. 

Jeetendra, Dilip Kumar and Sridevi in Dharm Adhikari (1986)

Jeetendra, Dilip Kumar, Priti Sapru (back) and Sridevi on the sets of Dharm Adhikari (1986)

One of two films Sridevi and Dilip Kumar worked in (the other being Karma). 

When Sridevi's appearance caused the accidental death of three: Ram Gopal Varma Posts

Sigh. 

Deep breath.

Ram Gopal Varma, the enfante terrible of Indian cinema, occasionally comes out with the right comment, often at the wrong time. 

However, on the rare occasion that I agree with what he says... 

Sridevi's popularity in the 1980s in the south would be unfathomable to the current crop of wannabes.  What she achieved in her tender lifetime remains unsurmountable. 

Allu Arjun being arrested for an accident that happened elsewhere is just bizarre.  

Left: Sridevi in Kshana Kshanam (1991). 

Sridevi and Vinod Khanna strike a pose

Publicity stills for Pathar ke Insan in the early 90s. 

Sridevi looked so gorgeous in this shoot - it was on the cover of several magazines including this Hindi tabloid; Priya magazine. Love stories in movies was the cover story feature. Fresh off the success of Chandni, these two were the biggest stars of that time. 
 

The reluctant smile: Stunning Sridevi

The great Sridevi.

Anyone recognise which film this look is from?
 

Sridevi

 Sridevi - possibly from the sets of Kalaakaar. 

Sridevi and Govinda in Gair Kanooni

Govinda and Sridevi in the only film they did together, the hodge-podge Gair Kanooni (1989). Released after a lot of erratic shooting schedules and delay, Sridevi appears in several sizes and fashion throughout the movie. Born the same year, the two stars could match wit, dance, pathos and drama in equal measure - but alas they deserved a better film, a better comedy in fact than this film - though it was the surprise hit of 1989. 

Gorgeous Sridevi was a bit on the chubby side in parts of the movie, but groomed herself to look like the superstar that she became. 

As Govinda turns 61 today, here's wishing the capable actor the very best. We just heard his son is about to be launched, but here's hoping Govinda makes a decent comeback. 

Rare pic: Raj Kapoor with Sridevi in 1986

Raj Kapoor with Sridevi back in 1986. 
Rare photo.  More details about the event in earlier post here.

Rare (blurry) stills of Sridevi and the cast of Karma on set:

Released in the summer of 1986, Karma was easily the biggest film of the year. Even during production Subash Ghai, the self-anointed showman of Bollywood, had assembled an all-star cast led by the greats Dilip Kumar and Nutan, to the young guns Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah, the leading ladies Sridevi and Poonam Dhillon, supported by stalwarts like Dara Singh, Anupam Kher, Shakti Kapoor, Tom Alter and the ever-present Bindu. 

These rare stills from the set show how much fun they had in the 1980s in Bollywood. All stars in the making, many who became legends. 

Stills of Sridevi and the cast and crew of Karma