Sridevi and her co:stars: Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna

Wish I had a clearer scan of this feature and magazine. Sridevi with her costars Anil Kapoor, a rare pic with Amitabh Bachchan and another with Vinod Khanna. 

All on film sets; Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja, Khuda Gawah and the unreleased Garajna. 

Language, Please: Sridevi's highly anticipated return

In her comeback film titled English Vinglish, the actress speaks a multitude of languages Japanese, French, Korean, Mexican and Swahili 

For an actress who could barely speak Hindi when she first joined the Hindi film industry, Sridevi has come a long way. In her comeback film English Vinglish, the actress is set to push the bar even further. She will talk in Japanese, Mexican, Swahili, Korean and French. While not much is being revealed about the extent to which she has spoken the languages, according to sources, the film has characters from France, Japan, Mexico, Africa and Korea and Sridevi is required to communicate with them in their languages. 

Ironically, in the film, the actress plays a housewife in the US who speaks English with great difficulty. As reported earlier, Mehdi Nebbou who previously starred in Steven Speilberg's Munich will play the French character. 

According to sources, Sridevi spent months perfecting her lines in different languages. Before shooting commenced in New York, the actress would reportedly spend time in the kitchen of her Mumbai house muttering the lines, taking the help of a voice recorder. 

Director Gauri Shinde, whose husband R Balki made the hit Paa, had reportedly made it clear that the actress would have to learn the lines and make the scenes look authentic. The source said, "It wasn't easy for someone whose mother tongue is Tamil and couldn't speak a word of Hindi to do Solva Savan (Sridevi's first Hindi film). Sri mastered the language only after her first 8-9 films. To learn 5 languages for a film, takes some doing." 

When contacted, Balki, who is also the producer of the film, said, "It's too early to specify the nationality and language of all the characters. But yes, Sri had to interact with people from various parts of the world. And she managed beautifully." 

The shooting of the film has been completed, it has been revealed that Amitabh Bachchan also makes a special appearance in the film. 

By: Subhash K Jha 

Date: 2012-01-01 Place: Mumbai 

From Mid Day: http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2012/jan/010112-For-Sridevi-English-is-Vinglish-but-what-about-Swahili.htm

More on English Vinglish: Sridevi's comeback return vehicle: July 2011

Various reports have been floating about director Gauri Shinde’s debut film English Vinglish. It is said that protagonist Sridevi will be shown as a lady speaking English and the film is a hilarious take on how she learns the language. 

Others say that it is a remake of the old Hindi TV series Zabaan Sambhalke. But filmmaker R. Balki, who has been a huge support to wife Shinde and who is present on the set whenever he is free from his work, said that there is no truth in the reports. 

“What has been circulating is utter rubbish, and the story of the film is not even remotely close to what has been stated. The only truth is that Amitabh Bachchan is playing a cameo in the film and he shot with us for a day,” said Balki. 

The ad filmmaker-turned-director was glad that Gauri was very confident despite the film being her first venture. “She was not intimidated by Sridevi, and Amitabh made her very comfortable from the moment he stepped on the sets. Otherwise all the actors in the film are new,” said Balki. 

The shooting of the film will get over in October. 

By Geety Sahgal 

From Indian Express 

Tags : Zabaan Sambhalke 

Posted: Fri Jul 29 2011, 16:19 hrs

Sridevi and Arvind Swami in Deva Raagam (1996): Sridevi's last Malayalam film

Sridevi with Aravind Swami in the last Malayalam film she did, Deva Raagam (1996). The movie was OK, but the music was sensational!

Sridevi was flawless. There were some rumblings that she looked older than her co-star in the film... but all we remember was how absolutely stunning Sri looked in her designer ethnic wear, ghaghras and traditional South Indian attire.

Tubby Aravind Swamy was, truth be told, no match for Sridevi's superstar aura. Though he was riding the fame of Roja, he didn't measure up to Sridevi in any way or form. He was only seven years younger than Sridevi but oddly enough, looked older than slim-n-trim Sri. Or so we believe. 

The songs of Deva Raagam are absolutely brilliant. Check out the title song: Deva Raagam. Or, in fact, any other number from this film on YouTube. Even if you don't understand the language, the grace and beauty of Sridevi is undeniable and immensely watchable.

Due to Sridevi's overwhelming popularity, the film was released in Tamil and Telugu centres too. The film was a disappointment at the box-office, despite stellar performances by the cast and faultless work by the crew. Though the film faded in film halls quickly, its songs have lived on in television and audio sales were rocking for the movie.

Click to enlarge

Deva Raagam (1996)
"The brightest spot of the entire film was definitely Sridevi, as the beautiful Lakshmi. This movie may not be the most astoundingly original story out there, or the happiest ending in the world, but the acting gives it some real meat. Particularly Sridevi in her transition from the wide-eyed, flirtatious young maiden to the hard-worn, devastated mother, makes this movie worth watching. This is perhaps not Arvind Swamy's strongest work, especially considering Roja and Bombay. His role is more subdued, especially compared to Sridevi's powerhouse performance. Then again, she has that way of stealing the show, doesn't she?"

Review from Bollystalgia