Sridevi's Google doodle

 

Only reserved for icons like... Sridevi. 

The famed Google doodle! 

Sridevi, Anil Kapoor and Urmila on the sets of Judaai back in 1997!

Sridevi, Anil Kapoor and Urmila on the sets of Judaai back in 1997!

Sridevi's over-the-top nouveau riche look was so spot on with the character she played. 

Sridevi in white: Bangles, costume of Heer: Gorgeous Indian actress in Heer Ranjha

 

Sridevi and a statement necklace: Indian actress as VIP guest at a jewellery event

Sridevi and a statement necklace: Indian actress as VIP guest at a jewellery event. Sridevi at the Vasundhara Exotic Jewellery Showroom launch back in November, 2015

Sridevi and Sunny Deol: Joshilaay, Ram Avtar, Nigahein: Superstars of the 1980s

Sridevi and Sunny Deol: Joshilaay, Ram Avtar, Nigahein: Superstars of the 1980s

 

Lady in Red: Sridevi on the sets of Garajna

Sridevi on the sets of (the shelved film) Garajna in the early 90s, late 80s.  The lady in red... 

Rare photo of Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Khuda Gawah

Rare photo of Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Khuda Gawah 

Now and then: Sridevi

 

Sridevi in 2013 (sari) and Sridevi in 2025 in the mid 1980s. 

Forever beautiful

Satish Shah worked with Sridevi in 3 films: RIP Satish Shah

While Sridevi was queen of Bollywood, TV's comedy king in the 1980s was undoubtedly, the insanely funny Satish Shah, who tragically passed away recently, at the age of 74 on 25 October, 2025. 

Shah got national fame through Yeh Joh Hai Zindagi, a pan-Indian sketch-comedy megahit on TV through 1984-1986, while Sridevi was ruling Hindi cinema along those years on film.  

The twain stars finally met on set, first on Bhagwaan Daada (Left; 1986), then Aag aur Shola the same year, and finally in Pathar ke Insan (1991).   

When comedians die, its such a gut-punch when the laughter fades to silence. When Robin Williams, Satish Kaushik, Kader Khan, Satish Shah, Asrani, Mehmood etc passed, you felt that pang so intensely. 

The real and the fake: Trending pics of Sridevi on Social Media

The Yassified app used on Sridevi's face... for no reason. The original picture was perfeclty fine - "fans" are doing a disservice to the Indian icon, altering her reality with this fakery and trickery. 

Asin turns 40! Famous fan of Sridevi, South Indian actress Asin

Asin gives a hug to Sridevi; yet another famous fan. 

The actress who made an impressive debut in Bollywood and was immediately compared to Sridevi -laughably- came and went so quickly. Opting for marriage over movies, perhaps she chose well. 

Trouble is of course, her all-too-brief stint in Bollywood means she'll be soon forgotten by this new gen of movie goers as the audience has short-term memory. I think of that lead actress in Hum Kisse Kum Nahin (1977!), where she made a big splash, big hit, big co-stars, hit songs... and now, we can't even remember her name. Wonder if fate will do the same to Asin; made a big splash in Ghajni, had hit songs, huge co-stars (Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar!) and then... fizzled out like yesterday's damp champagne. 

Perhaps she'll return to movies or OTT as the trend seems to be currently. Box-office might fade, talent doesn't. So let's see. 

 

Sridevi on Telugu TV

 Sridevi on Telugu TV. Rare glimpse. 

Sridevi of Sivakasi: How they honour her still!

Sridevi of Sivakasi: How they honour her still! 

 

Sridevi on the sets of Laadla

 Rare images of Sridevi on the sets of Laadla. Aahhh 90s fashion. She looks great tho'... 

Janhvi Kapoor with Sridevi at LFW

 

Janhvi Kapoor and Sridevi leaving a fashion event. 

Sridevi in white: A simple girl, who just happened to be a super star!

Sridevi famously said that she was "an ordinary girl with an extraordinary job."

We would state she had extraordinary talents and gifts that are beyond this generation's understanding. 

In a simple white salwaar kameez, she looks like the pretty girl next door. Little did the neighbours know what a phenomenon she was... 

Sridevi with co-star and friend Rajinikanth on stage

13 years her senior, Rajinikanth and Sridevi were friends and colleagues for the longest time-- perhaps Sridevi was even closer to him and his family than even Kamal Haasan (with who she had a rather volatile relationship believe it or not!). 

Its funny how both their careers took off from the same Tamil film back in 1976; the "twisted" drama Moondru Mudichu. The classic film marked Sridevi's first leading adult role as a heroine, and Rajinikanth's first major role in Tamil. Released on 22 October 1976, the film was a huge hit and critically acclaimed. K Balachander, a mentor for both, changed the lives of all three stars in different ways. Tamil cinema owes a great debt to the filmmaker who enhanced the narrative of Indian cinema and brought actors to the forefront, who became oversized superstars later. The fandom of the three is... well, not possible to replicate again. But the roots of all three derives from drama; they were performers first, stars later. Today, new gen wants fame and all its paraphernalia and not work for it. Rant on that later... 

There's an over simplified meme and image of Sridevi floating on the net for decades - Sridevi acted as Rajinkanth's mom at age 13 - which is staggeringly ignorant of what the complexity of the narrative was offering. But then, the net is not one for nuance... 

Rare photo of Sridevi and Kamal Haasan

Tamil cine-icons, the great Sridevi. Kamal Haasan. Early 1980s or late 1970s I guess... the hair! The moustache!!

 

 

Sridevi at English Vinglish screening: Dazzling in a white sari

She was soooo gorgeous. Such a simple yet stunning look. The Sari queen herself. Pure elegance.  Throwback to 2012 - Sridevi's statement necklace isn't as dazzling as her smile. 

Diwali jewellery: Sridevi stuns in her adverts

Diwali jewellery: Sridevi stuns in her adverts

Sridevi looks so staggeringly beautiful in this jewellery campaign. 

Sridevi in white: On screen, off screen, on set, on the red carpet...

Some popular stills of Sridevi over the years.  

Diwali 2025: Sridevi lights a lamp: TBT to Aulad

 

Her eternal light will shine on. Happy Diwali to all Sridevi fans. 

Will forever miss seeing her, decked to the hilt, hitting the Bollywood Diwali party circuit - being its brightest star. 

Sridevi's take on Lamhe and its controversial ending! Quote, Unquote!

 Sridevi's take on Lamhe and its controversial ending! Quote, Unquote! 

Sunny Deol turns 68! Sridevi's co-star of 6 films

Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Sultanat

Sridevi and Sunny Deol on the sets of Joshilaay

Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Main tera Dushman

Rajinikanth, Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Chaalbaaz

Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Sunny Deol on the sets of Ram Avtar

Sridevi and Sunny Deol in Nigahein

Sunny Deol is officially a senior citizen; eldest of Dharmendra, the son of Punjab, turns 68! 

Above, Sridevi and Sunny Deol in the half dozen or so films they did together. Sunny Deol was six years older than Sridevi, but certainly didn't have her range of staying power or box-office success as the No:1 heroine of her time. Deol, an inconsistent actor--be it performance or box-office--has the most dramatic highs and lows in Hindi cinema. 

Son of icon, legend, superstar Dharmendra, the acorn didn't fall far from the tree. TBH Dharmendra's a better... well, everything. Dharmendra, 89, was the most handsome man of Hindi cinema, a phenomenal dramatic and comedic actor and a true-blue top movie star and box-office draw, who could really act. One of the greats, living legend... we are running out of aphorisms! 

First-born Sunny Deol however... well, he can be good with a great script and good director (Ghayal, Damini - ie Santoshi). Gadar and Gadar 2 box-office success boggles the mind. It paid homage to- and fan service of- Sunny Deol the star more than his (limited) thespian skills. The over-the-top acting, jingoism, over-the-top scenes worked but... this wasn't one for awards and critical acclaim. When Gadar first released and did phenomenally well, Sunny was genuinely shocked his movie didn't win or garner more accolades and trophies - his understanding of cinema remains stunted, especially in a world that had moved on and embraced change in Hindi cinema. Don't forget, Gadar released the same year as Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai; era defining and changing cinema. Sunny Deol was still making formulaic '80s hits. When he came home empty handed after Filmfare, he blamed politics, film magazine's incestuous coterie, favouritism, sycophancy and games that he didn't know how to play. Well, two things can be true at the same time. He didn't know how to deal with Mumbai media, nor did he grow in the direction that Hindi cinema was heading. For 22 years between the sequel and the original hit, Sunny Deol had one dud after another, leaving his finances in question - and open for ridicule from other lenders and producers.  

Maybe the gentle giant can pass the baton forward. TBH his own eldest son shows little promise, but there's hope in the second son. We also have an inkling it will be Bobby Deol's son who's going to keep the family name alive. Nepo grand baby? Well, yeah. That's how the industry works.  

Senior Sunny will be seen in a handful of sequels, the ip like his 'dhai kilo ka haath' remains strong.  

Film families run the industry, but who will succeed down the line remains to be seen.

Dharmendra, Sridevi and Sunny Deol at the premiere of Ghayal

UPDATE;

Wow, Sunny Deol's fandom came at us today hammer and tongs. Please note, we have no monkey in this circus, the above is just observation based on statistics, and facts. 

Sunny Deol's Filmography Overview: Hits vs. FlopsSunny Deol has appeared in approximately 80 lead or major roles in Hindi films from 1983 to 2019 (excluding special appearances, voice roles, and projects like Gadar 2, which was a major hit in 2023). Based on box office verdict compiled from sources like Box Office India and film analysis sites, his career shows a mix of successes in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by a longer streak of underperformers in the 2000s and 2010s.
Key statistics (considering "Flop" as any film recovering less than 80% of its budget, including Below Average, Average, Disaster, and similar categories):

• Total movies analyzed: 80
• Hits (profitable releases, including Semi Hit, Hit, Super Hit, Blockbuster, All-Time Blockbuster, Above Average): 27 (34%)
• Flops: 53 (66%)

Percentage of movies that are flops: 66%For a visual breakdown, here's a pie chart showing the distribution of verdicts across his filmography:This chart highlights the dominance of flops in his overall output, though his hits (e.g., Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Border, Ghayal) were often massive blockbusters that defined his action-hero legacy.Decade-Wise BreakdownTo show trends over time, here's a table summarizing hits and flops by decade:

Decade	Total Movies	Hits	Flops	Hit %	Notable Hits	Notable Flops
1980s	19	9	10	47%	Betaab, Arjun, Tridev	Sunny, Sultanat
1990s	26	13	13	50%	Ghayal, Damini, Border, Gadar	Zor, Dillagi
2000s	21	3	18	14%	Apne, Yamla Pagla Deewana	Jo Bole So Nihaal, Kaafila
2010s	14	2	12	14%	Indian (2001 spillover)	Blank, Bhaiaji Superhit
Total	80	27	53	34%

His peak success came in the 1990s with a near-even split, driven by high-energy action dramas. Post-2000, flops outnumbered hits significantly, often due to changing audience preferences and competition from newer stars. Recent revivals like Gadar 2 (2023, All-Time Blockbuster) the rumoured sequels on powerful IPs, indicate a return to form... but only time will tell.