Indian thespian Paresh Rawal turns 70: Sridevi's co-star of 7 films

Kshana Kshanam (1991)

Judaai (1997)

Character actor, comedian, villain, producer, politician... gosh he wears many hats! How about just plain and simple actor of actors, thespian Paresh Rawal turns 70 today. Oddly enough, though both appeared in Hindi films around the same time in the 1980s, the two worked in only about seven films together; most memorably perhaps in Judaai, where Rawal had the short but unforgettable role of having all his dialogues set only in questions throughout the film - only to be bested by the brilliant Kader Khan! Comedic genius and jugalbandi of the two remains a highlight in the 90s blockbuster.  

Paresh Rawal was 8 years older than Sridevi, but as his first appearance in a Hindi film was in 1985, by then young Sridevi had already appeared in over 100 movies! 

Personally, I loved the fine balancing act he did of comedic villain in the Telugu smash Kshana Kshanam. If we look deeper, there's an extension of it in Andaz Apna Apna, where, though he was supposed to be a negative character, his dialogue delivery and antics were pure comedy gold. 

He and Sridevi did a wonderful job together in the Telugu film (another actor dubbed for the actor), as the two have done in all their films together, be it the lesser seen Sone pe Suhaaga or the grandiose Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja, where Paresh changed the tone of his voice and added a gravel effect.  

At a recent tell-all interview he did on TV, he stated the painful truth that actors in films are just colleagues no matter how long the association, however actors in theatre are friends. Something rings wildly verifiable about that statement, an uncomfortable truth as the war of titans plays out on Twitter between Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal! In a similar vein Sridevi had famously said in the 1990s, "I have no friends in Bollywood," and only to end with, "I have no enemies either." 

Ah Bollywood; no permanent relationships nor nemesis in this world of make-believe. 

On that note, a verifiable and veritable listicle; Paresh Rawal and Sridevi acted in; 

1. Judaai (1997)
2. Laadla (1994)
3. Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja (1993)
4. Govinda Govinda (1993) / Dubbed into Hindi as The Great Robbery
5. Kshana Kshanam (1991)
6. Sone Pe Suhaaga (1988) 
7. Bhagwaan Dada (1986)