Krishna and Sridevi in Adrushtavanthudu (1980)

Krishna and Sridevi in Adrushtavanthudu (1980)

Adrushtavanthudu (1980) is a Telugu film starring Krishna (in the lead) and Sridevi (as the female lead), along with Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, and others.

 

Sridevi's most frequent co-star: Not Jeetendra, Not Anil Kapoor, Not Kamal Haasan nor Rajinikanth

It's incredible how frequently they worked together; Sridevi with her much senior co-star, Krishna. Can Telugu fans pls let us know which films these stills are from?

Sridevi with Krishna in Telugu cinema

Sridevi with her most frequent co-star of all time; Krishna. They acted in over 30 films together spanning over a prolific decade. 

Krishna was 20 years older than Sridevi, born to pre-independent India, back in 31 May 1943! The two worked together non-stop in Telugu cinema until he aged out of leading man roles. 

Krishna with his most frequent co-star: Sridevi

Despite their considerable age-gap, Telugu superstar Krishna worked with young Sridevi the most - a staggering 31 Telugu films. 

Father of current and contemporary Telugu star Mahesh Babu, Krishna was 20 years older than Sridevi and worked with her in over 30 films spanning nearly two decades. 

When we first started this Sridevi blog - 25 years ago -- the thought of compiling the definitive, comprehensive Sridevi/Jeetendra movie list with correctly assigned images seemed Herculean. Little did we know, there's this behemoth list of Telugu films that is an even harder task. 

Sridevi with Krishna: Her most frequent co-star of ALL time

Yes, we've addressed the staggering age-gap before, so it doesn't bear repeating but for the new viewers, despite the near 20-year age-gap, Krishna was Sridevi's most frequent co-star of ALL time - which fans have helped us chronicle over the years here.

Krishna and Sridevi in Kalavari Samsaram (1982)

Krishna and Sridevi in Kalavari Samsaram (1982). 

One of the 30+ films the two Telugu superstars appeared in. 

Krishna and Sridevi: Telugu cine icons

 Krishna and Sridevi: Telugu cine icons! 

Anyone remember which film this shot is from? 

Comic timing on fire as usual! 

Krishna and Sridevi: Telugu film icons

Krishna and Sridevi: Telugu film icons 
 

Sridevi's Most Frequent Co-star: 31 films in 9 Years!

It isn't Kamal Haasan, certainly not Anil Kapoor, nor Jeetendra but Sridevi's most frequent co-star in her incredible career was Krishna. The two appeared in a whopping 31 films together over the span of a decade. A feat that will never happen again as stars of today prefer novelty, newer stars (often yonger co-stars!) over experience! 

Two leading stars in so many films so often - what an incredible repertoire! In 1980 and again in 1982 they appeared in seven Telugu films! 

Sridevi was just a child when she first met Krishna - and was 25 when she made her last film with him in the comic caper turned drama Maharajasri Mayagadu (1988). 

For this listicle, I must confess, it is a complete daylight robbery of information from Cinema Cinema Cinema here - as I had no idea (not a Telugu speaker) that Sridevi had such a massive film history with Krishna in oh-so-many movies. 

With Rishi Kapoor and Sunny Deol, Sridevi barely did six films, a dozen with Anil Kapoor, 15 with Jeetendra, but double that and then some with Krishna! 

I've seen bits and pieces of their work together online and its a staggering amount of work. And the range! Sridevi acted as Krishna’s daughter in Maa Nanna Nirdoshi, she essayed the part of his sister in the Telugu film Devudu Laanti Manishi and Sridevi acted as Krishna’s mother in the film Samaajaniki Sawal - while keeping in mind Sridevi was 20 years younger than Krishna! 

She was his girlfriend/spouse/love interest in over two dozen films too! Oh Telugu cinema! Prolific. 

The 31 Telugu films of Sridevi and Krishna include;

1. Burripalem Bullodu                      (16/11/1979) 
2. Samajaniki Saval                          (28/12/1979) 
3. Devudichina Koduku                    (04/02/1980) 
4. Gharana Donga                            (29/03/1980) 
5. Mama Allulla Sawal                     (10/04/1980) 
6. Adhrustavanthudu                        (09/05/1980) 
7. Ram – Robert – Rahim                 (31/05/1980) 
8. Chuttalunnaru Jagratha               (08/08/1980) 
9. Bangaru Bava                              (31/12/1980) 
10. Guru Shishyulu                             (21/03/1981) 
11. Bhoga Bagyalu                             (05/06/1981) 
12. Gadasari Atha-Sogasari Kodalu  (20/06/1981)
13. Bangaru Bhoomi                          (14/01/1982) 
14. Bangaru Koduku                          (19/02/1982) 
15. Krishnarjunulu                            (26/03/1982)
16. Prema Nakshatram                     (06/08/1982) 
17. Krishnaavatharam                      (22/09/1982) 
18. Shamsher Shankar                      (21/10/1982)
19. Kalavaari Samsaaram                (03/12/1982) 
20. Oorantha Sankranthi1                (02/02/1983) 
21. Kirayi Kotigadu                          (17/03/1983) 
22. Adavi Simhalu                             (24/04/1983) 
23. Ramarajyamlo Bhimaraju          (28/07/1983) 
24. Kanchu Kagada                          (28/09/1984) 
25. Vajrayudham                               (05/07/1985) 
26. Pachani Kapuram                      (07/09/1985) 
27. Jayam Manade                            (10/04/1986)
28. Khaidi Rudrayya                        (05/06/1986)
29. Makutam Leni Maharaju           (13/03/1987)
30. Maa Oori Magaduv                   (30/10/1987) 
31. Maharajasri Mayagadu             (09/09/1988)  

Left: Krishna with Sridevi. 

Hit/Flop Status Details:

• Gharana Donga (1980): Ran for 48 days in Hyderabad and was one of three direct 100-day films with Krishna and Sridevi in 1980, indicating a hit.
• Mama Allulla Sawal (1980): Ran for 70 days in Hyderabad and was a direct 100-day film, confirming hit status.
• Adhrustavanthudu (1980): Ran for 70 days in Hyderabad, suggesting commercial success and hit status.
• Chuttalunnaru Jagratha (1980): A direct 100-day film, confirming it as a hit.
• Bhoga Bagyalu (1981): Ran for 50 days in Vijayawada, indicating a hit.
• Gadasari Atha-Sogasari Kodalu (1981): Ran for 56 days in Vijayawada, confirming hit status.
• Bangaru Bhoomi (1982): Ran for 25 days with packed houses in Vizag, indicating a hit.
• Bangaru Koduku (1982): Part of three consecutive films with Sridevi in 1982, likely a hit based on their track record.
• Krishnarjunulu (1982): Part of the same successful 1982 trio with Sridevi, likely a hit.
• Kalavaari Samsaaram (1982): Ran for 28 days with packed houses in Vizag, confirming hit status.
• Oorantha Sankranthi (1983): Noted for rapid production and strong performance, likely a hit based on Krishna-Sridevi’s record.
• Kirayi Kotigadu (1983): Ran for 100 days in Nidadavolu, indicating a hit.
• Vajrayudham (1985): Ran for 50 days in multiple centers, confirming hit status.
• Pachani Kapuram (1985): Ran for 50 days in multiple centers, confirming hit status.
• Unknown Status: For films like Burripalem Bullodu, Samajaniki Saval, Devudichina Koduku, and others, no specific box office data was found in the provided sources or additional searches. Telugu cinema records from this period are sparse, and even IMDb or Wikipedia lists lack detailed verdicts for these films.

Search and Source Notes:

• The primary source for hit status is a blog post detailing Krishna and Sridevi’s collaborations, which provides specific runtime data (e.g., 50 or 100 days in specific centers). In Telugu cinema, films running 50+ days in multiple centers or 100+ days in any center are typically considered hits.
• Other sources, like Wikipedia’s list of highest-grossing Telugu films or IMDb’s top Telugu movies, focus on major milestones (e.g., Mayabazar or Gharana Mogudu) and don’t cover the specific films listed here.
• Krishna’s filmography on Wikipedia and other sites confirms the release of these films but lacks box office verdicts.
• No relevant X posts provided detailed box office data for these films, and modern Tollywood box office trackers focus on post-1990s films.
• Limitations: The 1979–1988 period lacks comprehensive box office reporting, and fan-driven sources may exaggerate success. I’ve cross-checked claims critically, but some statuses remain unverified.