Kader Khan with Sridevi in Ghar Sansar (1986)

Remembering Kader Khan today on his death anniversary. He worked with Sridevi in sooooo many films in the 1980s. 

How fate works, they both passed in the year 2018 - Sri age 54 in Feb, Kader Khan in Dec, age 81. 

What lives. What legacies. 

Kader Khan with Sridevi in Ghar Sansar (1986)

 

34 years of Jawab Hum Denge: Sridevi with Jackie Shroff, Kader Khan and Shatrughan Sinha

34 years ago, on the 6th of Feb, 1987, Sridevi joined the cast of Jawab Hum Denge with the lead cast of Jackie Shroff, Shatrughan Singha, Kader Khan, Amrish Puri and Asrani. 

A typical Bollywood masala film, it's nice to see Sridevi and Jackie Shroff together in a film as they did very few together. Not a huge fan of the film, mostly memorable for the song Hairan Hoon Main Aap Se... and.. that's about it. Sridevi as a cop, had its moments.... 

Kader Khan with Sridevi in Ghar Sansaar (1986): Rakesh Roshan, Jeetendra and Sridevi on set

Sridevi at the launch of Ghar Sansar (1986) with the cast and crew - which intially included Kader Khan, Jeetendra, Rakesh Roshan and others.

Did you know? The story going around was that the producer wanted to sign Sridevi for the film but the inaccessible superstar was hard to reach. He asked his good friend, producer and actor Rakesh Roshan (who had already worked with Sridevi), to ask the leading lady to do the film. Sridevi agreed and Rakesh Roshan was also signed for the film. 

However, when he finally got the script and the character he was supposed to essay, Rakesh Roshan realised, the role with the negative shade wouldn't suit him. The role required him to be a young peeping tom - Roshan told the producer it would be better to sign another actor instead. Gulshan Grover was eventually signed for the film.

Below: Rakesh Roshan over the years with Sridevi - at a party hosted by him in 2013 and on the set here in 1986!

Sridevi, Jeetendra, Jaya Prada, Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor in Tohfa (1984)

Tohfa (Gift) is a 1984 Indian  film, produced by D. Ramanaidu under the Suresh Productions banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao.

With Sridevi, Jeetendra and Jaya Prada in the lead roles, with music composed by Bappi Lahiri. The film is a remake of the Telugu film Devata (1982). The film upon its release was a massive commercial success, grossing ₹45 million at the domestic box office, becoming the highest grossing Indian film of 1984.

The film's narrative follows siblings Janki and Lalita who both fall for Ram, their good friend. When Lalita learns that Janki loves Ram, she steps back and allows her sister to marry him. It was a direct remake of Raghavendra Rao's Telugu blockbuster Devatha (1982), with Sridevi and Jaya Prada reprising their roles.

At the 32nd Filmfare Awards, Tohfa received three nominations: Best Comic Actor (Kapoor), Best Music and Best Lyrics "Pyaar Ka Tohfa Tera."

A moment to note Sridevi's sheer will power and work ethic. In 1984 alone, Sridevi was a part of a whopping 11 films in multiple languages;

Telugu

1984     Babulugaadi Debba     

1984     S.P. Bhayankar         
1984     Kanchu Kagada         
1984     Kode Trachu                                 

Hindi

1984     Jaag Utha Insan         
1984     Akalmand         
1984     Inquilaab         
1984     Tohfa         
1984     Maqsad         
1984     Naya Kadam
 

Malayalam

1984     Premabhishekam    

 

 

 

Mawaali (1983): Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Jeetendra, Aruna Irani, Shakti Kapoor and Kader Khan

Mawaali (Rogue) is a 1983 Indian  film, produced by G. Hanumantha Rao by Padmalaya Studios banner, presented by Krishna and directed by K. Bapaiah. 

The film stars Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada in the lead roles, while Shakti Kapoor, Shreeram Lagoo and Kader Khan are featured in supporting roles. The music for the film was composed by Bappi Lahiri. 

The film is a remake of Telugu movie Chuttalunnaru Jagratha (1980), starring Krishna and Sridevi, which was later remade in Tamil as Pokkiri Raja (1982) which starred Rajnikanth and Sridevi. 

Sridevi has replicated her role in Telugu and Tamil adaptations, while Jayaprada  reprised Sridevi's role in Hindi adaptation. 

Mawaali was a commercial success grossing ₹40.7 million at the box office, becoming the sixth highest grossing Indian film of 1983.

Sridevi, Jeetendra and Jaya Prada in Mawaali (1983): Film Review

...with Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Aruna Irani

The cast of Mawaali (Rogue); Sridevi, Jeetendra and Jaya Prada were the leads with supporting cast of Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Aruna Irani. Fun times in Bollywood in the 1980s! This was the sixth biggest box-office hit of 1983.

Released 4 November, 1983.

Click on images above to see large postcards from the film's publicity stills.

Below rare colour stills of Jeetendra and Sridevi on the sets of Mawaali. 

Left: Some rare, rare pictures of Sridevi on the sets of the film. Many thanks to fans who are posting on social media, photographs of Sridevi from the 1980s

Left: Fan review of Mawaali published in Jan 1984 in Filmfare. Excerpt:

"It all began with Himmatwala, followed by Jaani Dost, Justice Chaudhury and now Mawaali - all mindless entertainers made in the South. 

The opening scene of Mawaali itself, in which Jaya Prada and gang are forced by Jeetendra (who is an engineer) to part with their clothes, is a prelude to more titillating (for front-benchers) things to come.

Jaya Prada is next shown singing a duet with Jeetu, both dancing briskly. She wears just a petticoat and blouse. You see, she is helpless, as her sari floats away when she falls off her bicycle. But lo and behold, it reappears when the duet is over. 

The other Jeetendra (who is the mawaali) is paired with Sridevi. The duo, predictably, spend their time singing nonsensical songs to the accompaniment of what seem to be lesson in physical exercises. 

K. Bapaiah may be the official director of the film but Kader Khan, its dialogue writer, directs the course of events on the screen. Kader Khan has a dimwitted son (Shakti Kapoor) who aspires to Jaya Prada's hand in matrimony along with who will come, automatically, her millionaire father's wealth. So all the intrigues. 

Mawaali gives on  he impression that its maker has never come across the saying 'haste makes waste'. The film lacks organisation and planning. The dubbing is so awful that one can hardly grasp the dialogue (anyway, there isn't anything worth grasping). 

There's much hue and cry over the cut-throat rivalry between the two Southern belles, Jaya Prada and Sridevi.  Mawaali, incidentally their first [Hindi] film together, proves beyond double that comparing Jaya Prada to pretty Sridevi is like holding a lamp to the sun. 

Smita Agrawal, Varanasi. 

Best write-up: Rs 75! 

Filmfare: January 1-15, 1984