Sridevi chilling on the sets of Army back in 1996

When Ram Shetty’s Army hit theaters on June 28, 1996, Hindi cinema was navigating a seismic trade shift. The mid-nineties demanded larger-than-life heroics, yet Army placed its central burden entirely on Sridevi, who was still sitting pretty at the top of the Bollywood pyramid.  

Playing Geeta, a grieving widow who rallies a ragtag band of convicts to avenge her slain army officer husband, Sridevi delivered a performance grounded in raw, unflinching steel.

Despite featuring Shah Rukh Khan in an extended special appearance, the film belonged unmistakably to its leading lady. 

Mounted on a modest budget of approximately ₹4 crore, Army posted a solid theatrical effort. It netted ₹6.58 crore across India and ultimately reached a worldwide gross of ₹11.34 crore. On pure economics, it recouped its production costs handily. However, heavy sub-territory distribution prices meant trade analysts ultimately declared its commercial status as an "Average" performer - neither a breakout blockbuster nor a financial write-off!

Curiously, the industry’s award ceremonies turned a blind eye during the 1996 season. Sridevi received no major nominations for the role, a notable omission given the sheer physical and emotional weight she carried across the narrative. Awards season favoured more conventional romantic formulaic blockbusters that year, bypassing Geeta’s gritty vigilante arc.

Yet time has afforded Army a distinctive place in retro filmography. Coming toward the end of Sridevi’s relentless first-era stardom before her self-staged sabbatical, the film remains a sharp reminder of her unmatched screen command—an action-led revenge thriller where the superstar anchored the frame with sheer gravitas, long before female-fronted actioner