Sridevi in and as Chandra Mukhi (1993): Yet another title role

Released on October 22, 1993, Sridevi on the sets of the film Chandra Mukhi

I used to think this film was universally hated - but found young generation, children who grew up watching the film on cable TV, loved this movie! Go figure... 

Sridevi as a bride on the sets of Chaand Kaa Tukdaa

Sridevi on the sets of Chaand Kaa Tukdaa 
From a scene that was not on the final edit.

Sridevi's pink bridal look sure was popular in the 90s. 

Rare photo of Sridevi on the sets of Gumrah

 Gorgeous Sridevi ont eh sets of Gumrah. 

Sridevi on the sets of Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin with director Pankaj Parasher back in 1993!

Sridevi on the sets of Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin with director Pankaj Parashar back in 1993. Had this film been shot, edited, and produced properly, it had all the ingredients of a potential comic classic. Instead, released a staggering 11 years after its original production schedule - as clearly marked on the clapboard - the final cut that stumbled into theaters in 2004 was a stitched-together, nonsensical patch-job. 

If the producer had shown any foresight, he would have coordinated a proper schedule with Akshay Kumar and Sridevi and the original director, to complete the remaining portions once she returned to the screen post-marriage and motherhood, looking as radiant as ever. 

Instead, what reached audiences was a jarring, amateurish editing effort that proved painful to endure—especially for fans of Sridevi and Akshay, who had waited over a decade to see the duo in a worthy feature. A frustratingly squandered opportunity for all involved.

Sridevi with Yash Chopra on the sets of Chandni back in 1989

 

The filmmaker and his muse: Magic was being made here. Sridevi with producer/director and visionary Yash Chopra on the sets of Chandni back in the day. 

Yash Chopra was born on September 27, 1932. 

Sridevi in white on the sets of Gurudev

Sridevi in white on the sets of the Hindi film Gurudev 

Smiles to Go: Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in Gurudev

Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi and Anil Kapoor on the sets of Gurudev 

Anil Kapoor and Sridevi in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja

Anil Kapoor and Sridevi in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja  

On the sets of the title song of the film.

Behind the Scenes of Joshilaay with Sunny Deol, Sridevi and Shekhar Kapur

A throwback to March 1984, Cine Blitz goes behind the scenes of the expensive production of Joshilaay. Long before they worked together in Mr.India, suave model turned director Shekhar Kapur was fanning out at the young starlet Sridevi. 

Sunny Deol on the other hand... was not as impressed with the southern sensation, who by 1984, had a dozen hits while, Sunny was still struggling to get a foothold despite a blockbuster debut! 

Making hay while Sunny shines!

When my editor mentioned a location shooting at Panchgani, I was thrilled! It was to be my first outdoor assignment. But my enthusiasm soon waned when I learnt that the cast comprised of a dull, reticent Sunny Deol and a dumb, gawky Sridevi for Shekhar Kapur's Joshilaay.

Early, on a bracing wintry day the rest of the press and I bumped along in a rickety, old coach to the picturesque little hill-station. Our hotel was a quaint little place on a hillock overlooking a wide lake in the valley. The producer Mr. S. H. Rizvi was the very epitome of hospitality. After a quick freshening up we rushed to the site which was on a 'table-top - a flat piece of land on top of a hill.

As we neared the site a man hurried towards us flailing his arms. He turned out to be Shekhar Kapur, the effervescent, ever cheerful director. With him was his continuity girl - bubbly young wife Medha.

The film is an action thriller on the lines of a Cowboy Western and Shekhar plans to shoot the whole film in brown and yellow hues. On that particular day he had had the common enemy. "As the plot thickens," Shekhar explained, "and the two come close together they develop a mutual respect for one another, even though they are diametrically opposite in nature."

As the technicians got the shot ready, we heard a lilting tune float by. It was part of the song sequence which they were to shoot for the next two days and pretty soon the whole unit including us were humming it almost constantly. The scene they shot the first day had Sunny sitting atop a haystack looking on mischievously but inconspicuously at Sridevi, a gypsy girl dancing with her friends. Sunny was surprisingly rather voluble and he gestures. Sridevi dressed in a bright green and scarlet gypsy outfit suited the role to the hilt. After smiling a shy hello at us she went back to the dance director's instructions. Anil was not present as he was not part of the schedule.

Director Shekhar Kapur on set with newcomers
Sunny Deol and Sridevi in Joshilaay

Shekhar appears to be a most fastidious director, much to the chagrin of producer Rizvi who has had to accompany him all over India scouting for suitable locales. "I've almost exhausted all my finances just hunting for locations with this fussy man," revealed Rizvi, good humouredly. Even on the days we were there I noticed Shekhar's penchant for details. Apart from explaining each artiste's role at length, his eye would be strained for the smallest straw of hay that was out of place! He appeared almost captivated with Sridevi's effortless acting and the ease with which she followed the dance instructions. "She is one of the most natural actresses ever," he gushed. "Her spontaneity is remarkable. As for her dancing—it is sheer pleasure watching her." And as I watched her shoot for the next two days, I found that Shekhar had not exaggerated. After pack-up as Sridevi and Sunny posed for still photographers, I was fascinated by their thorough professionalism. Otherwise, the communication between the two was almost nil, but as the bulbs flashed the couple transformed themselves into a photographer's delight, posing comfortably and romantically, instinctively knowing what the other wanted.

The next day I decided to make the most of Sunny's talkative mood. I wonder whether it was the holiday-like, relaxed atmosphere of the place or whether it was being away from Bombay that made him speak rather expansively on intimate subjects like marriage, love, affairs etc. Expecting him to clam up when I mentioned the word 'marriage' (because of the strong rumours about his own), he surprised me with his willingness to speak at length on it, "Of course, I believe in marriage whole-heartedly. You see affairs may come and go but in the end it's only the wife that matters. When you come home after a tired day and you have a loving wife waiting for you, you suddenly realize that that's what life's all about." When I asked him what qualities he would seek in his ideal woman, he eulogized on his mother whom he considers to be the ideal. And from his wife he would want, "Deep love and understanding. You see, being in this profession I am aware that I am constantly a victim of all kinds of gossip and slander, so my wife should know me well enough and take it all in her stride. I'll give her anything I can, lay the world at her feet, for she's my wife but in return I expect constant reassurances of love and understanding—two things I thrive on. Typically, like most male chauvinistic husbands, he detests nagging. "I think nagging slowly destroys two people who are very close to each other." With all this oblique talk on marriage, my curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't help asking whether he'd ever marry an actress. He gave a long... "

Gopi Krishna with Mithun and Sridevi: Birth anniversary of the Nritya Samrat

Gopi Krishna choreographs Sridevi and Mithun in Jaag Utha Insan back in 1984. 

Today, the birth anniversary of the Nritya Samrat. Born on 22 August 1935, he only taught Sridevi in one film. The prolific dancer was famed as the youngest choreographer in the history of Indian cinema. 

Born on August 22, 1935, into the illustrious Banaras gharana as the grandson of Kathak legend Sukhdev Maharaj, Gopi Krishna was just 49 years old when he directed Sridevi’s classical dance movements in K. Viswanath’s Jaag Utha Insan (1984). She was 20 and in awe of the lgend. 

By the time of his passing on February 18, 1994, he had secured an imperishable legacy as a virtuosic titan of Indian dance. His status as arguably the greatest classical dancer of mainstream Hindi cinema stemmed from an extraordinary, lightning-fast execution of Kathak, astonishing tatkar footwork, and a unmatched athletic fluidity - rendered all the more remarkable considering his lifelong battle with chronic asthma. 

Honoured with the title of Nataraj at fifteen and later awarded the Padma Shri in 1975, his range transcended traditional Kathak, integrating elements of Bharatanatyam and folk traditions into dynamic cinematic compositions. Married to Kathak exponent Savitri, Gopi Krishna spent decades elevating movie choreography into fine art. 

He achieved instant screen immortality starring in V. Shantaram’s classic Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), where his soaring performance set a benchmark for dance on celluloid. Beyond his starring debut, his landmark filmography and signature choreographed pieces include the rich Kathak numbers in Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan (1981), Saqi (1952 - where he became the industry’s youngest choreographer at seventeen - and grand scale productions like Mehbooba (1976), Dastaan (1972), and Gopi (1970). 

His ultimate legacy lies in bridge-building. He demystified classical dance for popular audiences without sacrificing its rigorous technical purity. Through his Nateshwar dance academies and a historic world-record continuous Kathak performance lasting over nine hours, Gopi Krishna permanently redefined how classical artistry is staged, filmed, and preserved in the cultural consciousness.

Rekha in and as Umrao Jaan

Work with Rekha

Gopi Krishna was initially brought in to train and choreograph Rekha for Muzaffar Ali’s magnum opus Umrao Jaan (1981). He helped impart the fundamental nuances, stances, and expressions of Kathak required for her role as a 19th-century courtesan. However, after composing an initial dance number, the film's makers sought a more authentic, traditional Kathak flavor for the remaining tracks and brought in maestro Kumudini Lakhia, leaving Gopi Krishna credited alongside Lakhia for the film’s iconic dances.

Madhuri Dixit

Gopi Krishna never choreographed Madhuri Dixit. By the time Madhuri Dixit rose to superstardom in the late 1980s and early 1990s as Bollywood's premier dance icon, her signature film routines were primarily designed by Saroj Khan (and later, Birju Maharaj for classical compositions like Devdas).

Other Leading Screen Legends

Throughout his prolific career spanning hundreds of films, Gopi Krishna choreographed and trained many of Indian cinema’s legendary leading ladies, particularly in intricate classical and semi-classical routines:

• Madhubala: In Saqi (1952), marking his debut as the youngest choreographer in Hindi cinema at age seventeen. 

  
  
  

• Vyjayanthimala: In major dance-centric productions like Amrapali (1966), Suraj (1966), and Prince (1969).

• Sudha Chandran: In the classical dance biopic Nache Mayuri (1986).

• Waheeda Rehman & Asha Parekh: Across various classical, period, and drama sequences in 1960s and 1970s mainstream cinema.

• Sridevi: In K. Viswanath’s Jaag Utha Insan (1984)

Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in Lamhe

Lamhe

The first piano prelude to Kabhi main kahun just transports us back to the early 90s... Magical Lamhe. A forever favourite of the NRI diaspora. 
 

Behind the scenes of Lamhe 

Yash Johar, Anupam Kher, Sridevi, Sanjay Dutt and Mahesh Bhatt in Hong Kong for Gumrah

Hindi film producer Yash Johar, actors Anupam Kher, Sridevi, Sanjay Dutt and director Mahesh Bhatt in Hong Kong for Gumrah. The cast and crew of the hit 90s film on location. 

Sridevi was 29 when she shot the film - a stellar performance by the iconic Indian actress, Gumrah released on August 3, 1993. 

Anil Kapoor and Sridevi on the sets of Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja

 

Sridevi in Laadla: Her Tina Turner Wig et Al

Sridevi on the sets of Laadla. Sridevi looks great... despite the awful costume, wig and stylin'... 

Sridevi and Nagarjuna: On film: On set with a fan

 Sridevi and Nagarjuna: On film: On set with a fan

Maqsad: The all-star cast: Sridevi, Rajesh Khanna, Jaya Prada and Jaya Prada

 

Released on May 4, 1984, Maqsad (The Motive) is an action-drama film directed by K. Bapaiah and produced by D. Rama Naidu (Suresh Productions), Remake of the 1983 Telugu film Mundadugu.

Shot in less than 40 days, out of the Madras movie factory, the remake was an instant hit. Today, it's only remembered for Sridevi and Jaya Prada's epic dance off. While watching Dola re dola re, in Devdas, you don't know who to look at - Aishwarya Rai or Madhuri Dixit; its deja vu for us. While watching the song and dance routine of Naagraja, you don't know who to look at - the learned dancer Jaya Prada, or the naturally gifted Sridevi. Both aced it Jaya Prada's poise and perfection, Sridevi's grace and fluid movements. Sridevi towered over short Jaya, but Jaya Prada's face was flawless back then... 

Sridevi in and as Banjaran: The hot pink costume

Sridevi in and as Banjaran: The hot pink costume 

Sridevi with Shahrukh Khan: The Original: The AI Edit and Enhanced version!

Sridevi with Shahrukh Khan: The Original: The AI Edit and Enhanced version! 

The two on the sets of Army - which was one of the few films choreographed by Farah Khan for Sridevi (Sridevi usually worked with Saroj Khan and Chinni-Prakash). 

The Crowned Queen of Bollywood: Sridevi in Mr.India

The Crowned Queen of Bollywood: Sridevi in Mr.India!

Years ago, I wrote a feature where I had stated Sridevi was the uncrowned Queen of Bollywood, nay, Indian cinema for so long, then a fan pointed out, well, technically Sridevi's crown and glory was visible often on film several times, be it in Tamil, Telugu or Hindi films! 

Hard to argue with that logic... 

Another take: Sridevi

Sridevi, always on the sets of her films. What a life. What a legacy..