Divya Bharti : Sridevi

Not only did they look similar but they were styled alike often - lord knows we've archived many of the looks and similarities between Sridevi and Divya Bharti in the past in our vast archives here. 

Sridevi's first film with Sanjay Dutt wasn't Gumrah or Khuda Gawah: It was this 1984 flick + 10 Shelved Films of Sridevi!

Its almost comical how many films are launched in Bollywood that fail to take off beyond announcement and hype. Here's another one to add to the long, long list; Yeh Kaisa Milan! 

A never-made/unreleased Bollywood film from the mid-1980s (announced around 1983–84, with a planned release in January 1984 according to the poster!). 

With Producer: S.R. Productions (Madras), under the banner Godha, the main cast was supposed to have Sridevi, Sunil Dutt's son Sanjay Dutt and Raj Kapoor's youngest song Rajeev Kapoor! With director/screenplay writer S.A. Chandrashekhar, the film had maestros Laxmikant–Pyarelal for music, (common for many Sridevi films of that era). Thankfully... the movie was never made. S.A. Chandrashekhar might have made many successful Tamil films, but his Hindi films have all been pretty much awful; Jeevan Ki Shatranj (1993) - a remake of the Tamil film Rajanadai and Azaad Desh Ke Gulam (1993) - a remake of the Tamil film Sudhanthira Naattin Adimaigal come to mind!). 

The Hindi film was promoted as a big multi-starrer with "Star Pairing of the Year" hype. This was during Sridevi's peak commercial phase in Hindi cinema (post-Himmatwala, Tohfa, Mawaali, etc.), when she was frequently paired with top heroes - so these relative newcomers (and OG nepo babies!) seems like a surprise. The film was ultimately shelved and never completed or released - we don't know exactly what went down, hence it doesn't appear in standard filmographies, IMDb lists, or Wikipedia entries for Sridevi, Sanjay Dutt, or Rajeev Kapoor. There are several false-start or failed to finish movies in Sridevi's archive (in all Indian celebrities' in fact). 

Old posters and announcements like this one occasionally surface on Instagram/Facebook fan pages (especially Sridevi tribute accounts), but there's no finished movie, songs, or features on many. There's a lot written about Garajna, Zameen, Sridevi's Telugu home production... and so on but on this film, we've found very little. 

Sridevi and Sanjay Dutt actually did collaborate later (their only film together was the 1993 Mahesh Bhatt-directed, Yash Johar produced Gumrah, and a brief shoot during Khuda Gawah), but this earlier project fell through.  

If you're a Sridevi fan, these "lost" posters are fun collector items from the era when she was dominating the industry with multiple releases per year. The hodge podge poster with cut outs from other films (I mean look at the image of Sanjay Dutt, and the Sridevi pic from her Tamil film Adutha Varisu, and Rajeev from another movie as well - the trio didn't even do a shoot together!). 

Sridevi in the film Zameen

Sridevi's list of shelved films;

1. Garajna
2. Teerandaz
3. Bodyguard
4. Zameen
5. Raasta
6. Maharaja
7. Ram ki Sita, Shyam ki Geeta
8. Bus Conductor 
9. Govinda
10. Khabardaar

Jeetendra and Sridevi

80s icons of Bollywood! Superstars Jeetendra and Sridevi.

As a businessman - part of 'show biz' - the most enduring, long-lasting career was that of Jeetendra. He hasn't been given his due for his contribution to Hindi cinema. The man was an industry onto himself; so many jobs, so many families, so many workers were employed because of his churning out of movies that the critics dismissed, but the masses loved. 

A film unit comprises of nearly 200 people, think of the technicians, camera crew, lighting crew, spot boys, dancers, costume designers, makeup artists, catering, fashion team, along with the cast and crew of the film - that lengthy scroll of credits at the end of a movie, all those pople got a paycheck because of the success of formulaic feel-good movies Jeetendra led. 

And some of those art-house films made on a shoe-string budget with minimal crew, that didn't change cinema as much as they would like to believe - or elevate the lives of the working people in industry. Making 12 critics happy and boring audiences, box-office figures were a stunning indictment of the art-house cinema movement. 

It's easy to be dismissive of pop art and pop culture cinema, but lets list their merits too.  It's equally easy to praise art films for the reflection on humanity, a slice of life in contemporary India...but let's also critique its slow pacing, its poor cinematography, its shoddy lighting! Was watching Bazaar the other day and the first painful minutes are just completely unnecessary shots of Smita Patil getting ready - a decent editor could have cut that to a few seconds. For the longest time was waiting for the story to kick off. And the dialogues were... well, who talks like that? Sure the film covered painful reality and subjects unspoken of, but as an entertainer, falls short. There are several documentaries that have faster pace and make the point in fewer minutes... 

Today's rant ends here. Let's give Jeetendra his due credit. In local parlance, give him his flowers now. The man is 84. His legacy is feeding new stars and new gen till date. The seeds he planted that's become this television behemoth, Balaji, runs the kitchens of many a home. 

Sridevi and her peacock feather

 

Sridevi's golden dance costume for Nigahein

 

A behind the scenes, on set image from 1989. Sridevi's golden dance costume for Nigahein: Nagina Part II

Think this is the only sequel Sridevi has ever appeared in, Nigahein (with the one note co-star Sunny Deol), opened phenomenally... and then plummeted at the box-office.

 Released just days before Chandni, Sridevi was her slimmest and trimmest in the movie and looks and dances phenomenally. She was all of 25 when she shot the film and peak prowess... 

Her finale dance number could have been a pale version of the original Main Teri Dushman song and dance routine, but it had far more difficult steps and she looked dazzling. 

It's a personal favourite of mine for....no reason other than, Sridevi looking her finest. It's also of-the-time fashion rich; Sridevi's outfits are peak 1980s style - all of which has been archived painstakingly here. 

Power of Three: Sridevi on set with Salman Khan< Yash Chopra, Vinod Khanna, Mithun, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and others

Power of Three: Sridevi on set with Salman Khan< Yash Chopra, Vinod Khanna, Mithun, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and others

Sridevi

We follow Boney Kapoor's social media handles only in hope he'll post rare images of Sridevi from his private collection of family pics. On occasion, he'll do a golden drop, ie release a rarely seen picture of "the great Sridevi" and have us all gushing. 

 

Pretty in Pink: Sridevi poses for Manish Malhotra

 

Early 2000s, when Sridevi came out of retirement just for her friend, celebrity designer Manish Malhotra

Sridevi on the sets of Garajna

Sridevi on the sets of Garajna. A part of me wants to see this film to see the magic that was Sridevi. Another part doesn't as... it might be an awful film (like Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin)... that does little for the legacy of Sridevi. 

Yash Chopra directs Sridevi and Vinod Khanna in Chandni (1989)

 

Sridevi with Janhvi Kapoor: A trending fake pic

Sure its pretty, sure its sweet and I'm sure its well-intended. However, it is still a fake pic. And its trending. And its not real. Its as synthetic as can be. 

Sridevi with Jaya Prada in their epic dance off in Maqsad

 

Released on April 27, 1984, Maqsad was led by an all-star cast of Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Sridevi and Jaya Prada. The film is no great shakes, but we were all shook up when we saw the epic dance-off between the famously warring leading ladies, Sridevi and Jaya Prada. The film is worth watching only to see these two dancing icons work their hardest. They made each other better. Both are so damn good in it, even with our cognitive bias in favour of Sridevi, cannot decide who is better. Expressions, movement, elegance, grace, precision, both are fantastic.

The men are... well, overacting their way through the dance, but really, no one's looking at them when these flashes of blue and pink are raging on the screen. 

80s superstars line up; Jaya Prada, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi

80s superstars line up; Jaya Prada, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi

Outside the sets of the hit film Maqsad. A movie with little to speak of other than it is the usual 80s masala potboiler. The only thing worth revisiting is the epic dance off between the famous feuding Telugu superstars, Jaya Prada and Sridevi. 

We have a hundred pics from the set in the archive - scroll away. 
 

Jeetendra and Sridevi

Jeetendra holding on to his lucky charm; gorgeous Sridevi! 

It's funny how much praise Jeetendra has bestowed upon Sridevi in the past, and especially after her sudden, shocking passing. 

In turn, Sridevi acknowledged that their successful pairing was a surprise and she felt lucky that he agreed to work with her when she was considered "a flop" actress after the initial failure of her first Hindi film as a leading lady, the box-office bomb, Solva Saawan.

He gave her a foothold in Bollywood, her youthful exuberance and sex-appeal--she was known as sensuous Srievi in the early days-- gave his flagging career a second boost in the 1980s! Jeetendra himself has acknowledged the Telugu superstars Sridevi and Jaya Prada were his bread and butter in the 1980s.

The cast of Bhagwaan Dada: Tina Munim, Rajinikanth, Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan

The cast of Bhagwaan Dada: Tina Munim, Rajinikanth, Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan. 

Superstar Rajinikanth with superstar-in-the-making, young Hrithik Roshan. 

 

A trending pic on Social Media: Sridevi versus all the top male and female stars of Bollywood

Well, it is hard for us to disagree with... but not impossible. Sridevi is great on her own, she does not need to be compared with anyone. 

Sridevi: Khushi Kapoor

 Profiles only: Sridevi. Khushi Kapoor. 

Sridevi, Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth in Chaalbaaz (1989): Acting powerhouses.

Scene stealing Sridevi in Chaalbaaz, one of her many double roles where she outshown her co-stars (much to the chagrin of Sunny Deol!). Well, it was a hit film that benefitted all three. The comedy scenes are fantastic, Sunny Deol danced his best in one of the songs and Sridevi won one of her may awards. 

 

दिल्ली एयर क्वालिटी अलर्ट: राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में प्रदूषण का स्तर 'गंभीर' सीमा के करीब पहुंच रहा है। डेटा से पता चलता है कि 15 मॉनिटरिंग स्टेशनों ने पहले ही 400 का आंकड़ा पार कर लिया है। जबकि शनिवार को शाम 4 बजे 24 घंटे का औसत AQI 361 था। यह शाम 6 बजे तक बढ़कर 372 हो गया, जिससे दिल्ली आज सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में से एक बन गया है।

Which actor paired best with Sridevi in Hindi films?

In Tamil, it was obviously Kamal Haasan, be it critical or commercial success or the sheer volume of films they did together, Sridevi and Kamal Haasan on the big screen were unbeatable. In Telegu, Sridevi did more films with Krishna than seems humanly possible. 

When it comes to Hindi films... its a different story. Sridevi paired with several leading men in Hindi cinema, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. 

"Success ratio" here refers to the percentage of films considered hits, blockbusters, or commercially successful (including "broke even" or average performers where noted as viable successes in trade terms), versus outright flops. We are not talking about the meritocracy here as Lamhe is easily many a critic's favourite film but commercially, it met with such a lukewarm reception. 

Note: Only released Hindi theatrical films where they shared significant screen time are counted (guest cameos or no shared scenes are noted but often excluded from core pairing ratios). Unreleased or shelved projects are ignored. Success is defined broadly as "hit or better" unless specified.

With Anil KapoorThey appeared together in around 12–15 films (depending on whether minor cameos/guest roles like in Jaanbaaz, Karma, or Joshilaay are included; core opposite pairings are fewer). Major ones include Mr. India (1987), Lamhe (1991), Laadla (1994), Judaai (1997), Ram-Avtar (1988), Heer Ranjha (1992), Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), Gurudev (1993), and Mr. Bechara (1996).

• Successful (Hits/Blockbusters/Broke even): Mr. India (hit), Laadla (hit), Judaai (hit), Lamhe (broke even/cult), Gurudev (broke even), Mr. Bechara (broke even). Some sources count ~5–7 successes.
• Flops: Ram-Avtar, Heer Ranjha, Roop Ki Rani..., plus others like Sone Pe Suhaaga (shared but not core pairing).
• Approximate success ratio: ~50–60% (e.g., 6–8 successful out of 12–14 core films). Their pairing had iconic highs (Mr. India, Lamhe) but mixed results overall, with stronger commercial pull in the 1990s.

With Rishi KapoorThey worked together in about 5–6 released Hindi films: Nagina (1986), Chandni (1989), Banjaran (1991), Gurudev (1993; shared with others), Kaun Sachcha Kaun Jhootha (1997). One unreleased project (Garajna) is excluded.

• Successful: Nagina (super hit, second biggest of 1986), Chandni (super hit, third biggest of 1989), Banjaran (hit). Gurudev is often listed as broke even/average.
• Flops: Kaun Sachcha Kaun Jhootha.
• Success ratio: ~70–80% (4–5 successful out of 5–6). This was one of her most consistent and critically appreciated pairings, driven by big musical hits.

With Amitabh Bachchan They co-starred in 4 released Hindi films: Inquilaab (1984), Aakhree Raasta (1986), Khuda Gawah (1992; Sridevi in double role), and English Vinglish (2012; Bachchan in a special cameo). Other projects were shelved or non-film (e.g., stage/TV).

• All successful: Every one was a hit or better (Khuda Gawah was among the year's highest grossers; English Vinglish was a major comeback hit).
• Success ratio: 100%. Their collaborations were limited but highly successful, often leveraging Bachchan's stature with Sridevi's star power.

With JeetendraThis was one of her most prolific pairings in the early–mid 1980s, with 16 films (including one guest appearance): Himmatwala (1983), Mawaali (1983), Tohfa (1984), Akalmand (1984), Jaani Dost (1983), Justice Chaudhary (1983), Suhagan (1986), Ghar Sansar (1986), Aulad (1987), Balidaan (1985), Dharm Adhikari (1986), Sone Pe Suhaaga (1988), and others like Maqsad (1984). Flops included Sarfarosh (1985), Aag Aur Shola (1986; guest), Himmat Aur Mehanat (1987).

• Successful: 12–13 hits (many were blockbusters or solid performers like Himmatwala, which relaunched Jeetendra's career alongside Sridevi's rise; Tohfa, Mawaali, etc.).
• Flops: 3.
• Success ratio: ~80–85% (12–13 successful out of 16). This was a high-volume, high-success "mass entertainer" pairing typical of 1980s formula films.

These ratios reflect commercial performance at the time of release (adjusted for budgets and territories). Sridevi often elevated films with her screen presence, dances, and dual roles, even in multi-starrers. According to stats, Amitabh Bachchan wins by a large margin, then Jeetendra, then Anil Kapoor and finally Rishi Kapoor. However, the popularity of two films, Nagina and Chandni especially, outweighs so many other movies... It eventually boils down not to stats, but opinion.