NTR with Sridevi

Natarathna with NTR and Sridevi! 
Aggiravva
Directed by K Bapayya, Produced by NTR under his Ramakrishna banner 

Released on 14/08/1981

Sridevi

Sridevi, 18, in the Telugu film Rani Kasula Rangamma (1981). One of several movies she did with Chiranjeevi. 

Jayasudha, Sridevi and Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the Telugu film Premabhishekam (1981)

 

Jayasudha, Sridevi and Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the Telugu film Premabhishekam (1981)

Sridevi: The teenage sensation from South ruling Tollywood

Sridevi: The teenage sensation from South ruling Tollywood.

Sridevi on the sets of Sankarlal - and the image on right, a screencap from the film. More in the archive here.

Sridevi was 17 when she shot the film. 

Left: Sridevi in Telugu tabloids back in 1981. The face of Indian cinema for decades. 

Rare still from the sets of Sankarlal, Shankarlal... A memorable look for Sridevi - seen here with her frequent co-star, Kamal Haasan aka Kamalahaasan! 

Sridevi's Award-winning Performance in Tamil classic Meendum Kokila (1981) : Stealing the limelight from Deepa, Kamal Haasan

Deepa, Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in ​​Meendum Kokila

Sridevi was all of 17 when she shot for the Tamil dramedy Meendum Kokila. Written by the Haasan brothers, the Tamil film was going to showcase Kamal Haasan's range as a hero who could juggle comedy and drama with equal ease (but of course he could!), as the role of common man trapped between the novel attraction of fame, glamorous beauty versus the comfort of domestic life with a homely wife. He add to appear as a man trapped under temptation and circumstances, without alienating the audience as a rogue, who cheated on his innocent wife.  Sridevi's raw talent and comedic skills, that she honed over time, were at its elemental best. She trounced the competition and sauntered up to stage to win the first of her several Best Actress wins and trophies.  

Of course Kamal Haasan still has more Best Actor awards than any other Indian actor, but even he didn't fail to acknowledge the meteoric rise of Sridevi as a pan-Indian superstar/actress. His several attempts to do one more film with Sridevi when she was alive and well, were rebuffed for various reasons, and alas, it's a loss for us as an audience. To see the two thespians together as a final act... with Mani Ratnam... with AR Rehman music... ah, one can only dream. 

ANR and Sridevi in ​​the Telugu film Prema Kanuka (1981)

 

ANR and Sridevi in ​​the Telugu film Prema Kanuka (1981)

ANR was 39 years older than Sridevi - and her costar in several films. 

Sridevi in Sankarlal (1981)

Sridevi, 18, in Sankarlal (1981)
 

Sridevi in Telugu film Puli Bidda (1981)

Sridevi in Telugu film Puli Bidda (1981) 
 

Sridevi in Deiva Thirumanangal (1981)

 Sridevi in Deiva Thirumanangal (1981)

Sridevi with Sobhan Babu in the Telugu film Gharana Gangulu (1981)

Sridevi with Sobhan Babu in the Telugu film Gharana Gangulu (1981). 

He was 26 years older than Sri but Telugu actor Sobhan Babu worked with young Sridevi in several films. 

Sridevi and Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the Telugu Premabhishekam (1981)

 

Sridevi and Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the Telugu Premabhishekam (1981)
 

Sridevi in the Telugu film Illalu (1981)

Sridevi in the Telugu film Illalu (1981)

Sridevi and Chiranjeevi in the Telugu film Rani Kasula Rangamma (1981)

 

Sridevi and Chiranjeevi in the Telugu film Rani Kasula Rangamma (1981)

Released 42 years ago today, on 1 August 1981, think this was the first film Telugu superstars Chrianjeevi and Sridevi worked together. They went on to make five more films together and remained friends till the very end. 

 

TBT: Newsbyte from May 1981: Sridevi

Excerpt from May 1981;

"....A serious threat to Sri Devi's position in the south is being posed by an eloquent-eyed beauty called Madhavi. A Balachander find she is the heroine in Kamalhasan's Raja Parvai and KB's Thillu Mullu. She also co-stars Rajnikant tin Hem Nag's magnum opus and plays Zeenat Aman's role in the Telugu and Tamil versions of Insaf Ka Tarazu...."

Sridevi was the high benchmark when it came to stardom as any and every actress was compared to her - something she (and her family) noted with some chagrin. As Sridevi famously said, she was compared to actresses every year in the 34 years she worked in the film industry, but "the names keep changing." 

Raaja Paarvai

Left: Madhavi and Sridevi share the cover of a Malayalam tabloid. 

Sridevi in the Telugu film Gadasari Atha Sogasari Kodalu (1981)

Sridevi in the Telugu film Gadasari Atha Sogasari Kodalu (1981).

Yet another hit for the Krishna - Sridevi pair, the dramedy rocked the box-office back in 1981. 

 

Sridevi, NTR, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and Rati Agnihotri in the Telugu film Satyam Sivam (1981)

The all-star cast of the Telugu film Satyam Sivam back in the early 1980s. 

Just a quick age check; Sridevi, 18, and  N. T. Rama Rao, 58, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, 58 and Rati Agnihotri, 21, in the Telugu film Satyam Sivam (1981). 

The village belle: Sridevi in Bala Nagamma (1981)

Sridevi from one of her many South Indian costume dramas; Bala Nagamma (1981). 

This Telugu costume drama, Sridevi looks gorgeous throughout.  

Sridevi and N. T. Rama Rao in the Telugu film Satyam Sivam (1981)

Sridevi, 18, and  N. T. Rama Rao, 58, in the Telugu film Satyam Sivam (1981) 

The Telugu remake of the Rekha - Amitabh Bachchan Hindi smash Suhaag (which was the biggest hit of 1979), the 40 year age gap was... strange then, improbably now. 

BTW the film also had Rati Agnihotri, 21, with co-star Akkineni Nageswara Rao, 58. 

Sridevi in the Telugu film Rani Kasula Rangamma (]1981)

 

Sridevi in the Telugu film Rani Kasula Rangamma (]1981). 

Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Sridevi in the Telugu film Prema Kanuka (1981)

 

Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Sridevi in the Telugu film Prema Kanuka (1981)