Long before comparisons with Telugu stars Ramya and Sridevi - there was Bhanupriya and Sridevi

I heard somewhere on Instagram that there was no greater weaponisation of women in films than producers and media pitting one against another - even when they had no cause. Be it in Hollywood, Tollywood or Bollywood; the famed feuds between actresses were amplified to sell tabloids; whether the ladies were willing participants or not. 

We have stated here several times before - there was no real rivalry between Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi, Divya Bharti and Sridevi, Radha and Sridevi... just paper wars simulated by the press in desperate need to sell copies off the backs of successful women. 

As Madhuri Dixit succinctly said, there are 300+ films made in India, there's plenty of room for everyone. Women are not horses that have to pass a position to be deemed first or second - only film producers/distributors were keeping track of those numbers for their financial benefit. Actresses were partaking in an art form; acting, dancing. They wanted their audiences to like them, the critics to appreciate them - this whole number biz was/is ridiculous. And yet, so much print was sold by comparing one actress with another. 

One of the earliest "competitions" or "competitors" we read about - was the one manufactured by film producers between Sridevi and fellow Andhra gal, Bhanupriya. 

Bhanupriya (born 15 January 1964) is a versatile Indian actress and trained Kuchipudi dancer with a career spanning over four decades and around 165 films, mainly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. We saw her recently on stage and she still has the grace and maturity of a seasoned star. 

But for a brief stint in Bollywood, she was supposed to be "the next Sridevi!"! 

Bhanupriya was just six months younger than Sridevi, and both were leading ladies in South Indian cinema in the 1980s–90s. When Sridevi got too busy and successful (and expensive!), Hindi film producers tried to look for an affordable replacement - and they didn't have to venture far. Andhra gal with more than a striking resemblance to Sridevi (long before Divya Bharti), they roped in pretty and talented Bhanupriya, who made her debut in 1986 with Dosti Dushmani, starring alongside Rajinikanth, Rishi Kapoor, and Jeetendra. Funnily enough, all three were frequent co-stars of Sridevi! But that trifecta could not recreate the box-office magic of Sridevi - as the mediocre film tanked. 

But that didn't stop Bhanupriya - she appeared in a handful of Bollywood films in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Khudgarz (1987), Insaf Ki Pukar (1987), Mar Mitenge (1988), Tamacha (1988), Suryaa: An Awakening (1989), and the notable family drama Bhabhi (1991) led by Govinda and Juhi Chawla. Though a hit, she made the fatal mistake of being seen as an older lady - no longer the heroine, but the 'aunty' /bhabhi/maternal figure. Even though Bhabhi was a box-office hit, Bhanupriya got none of the credit despite owning the title character and it killed her career in the Hindi film industry as a leading lady, an object of desire. She did roughly 8–10 Hindi films before largely stepping back from Bollywood, but she found greater success and stronger, award-winning roles in the South.

In the South, she rose quickly after her 1983 Tamil debut Mella Pesungal. Her breakthrough came with the 1984 Telugu National Award-winning film Sitaara. She became a top heroine from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, starring opposite legends like Chiranjeevi, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, and Mammootty in hits such as Swarnakamalam (1988), Aararo Aariraro (1989), Azhagan (1991), and Mani Rathnam's Thalapathi (1991). She finally succeeded where Sridevi didn't, she appeared in a notable Mani Ratnam film and gave a stellar performance. So what if she wasn't box-office gold, she was an actress worth her mettle.  

Her classical dance background shone in performance-oriented roles. She won two major Filmfare Awards South - Best Actress (Telugu) for Swarnakamalam (1988) and Best Actress (Tamil) for Aararo Aariraro (1989) - along with three Nandi Awards and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

She married in 1998, took a break, and later returned in supporting roles while living primarily in the US before resuming work in India. Her graceful screen presence and dancing legacy endure in South Indian cinema. 

For a fraction of her colourful, eventful life, she was placed in the disguise of a Sridevi avatar - dressed like her, adorned like her, with the same co-stars and producers as Sridevi, even though she wasn't a willing participant in the media made comparisons. She wasn't Sridevi's equal or sequel, but a Bhanupriya original. Her moving performances live on, while the comparisons have died down. 

Funnily enough, in above pic, Bhanupriya looks like a combo of Rekha and Sridevi...