Dazzling Sridevi: Indian icon

 

Sridevi in Masterji: A Controversial Hit for Sridevi and fading superstar Rajesh Khanna

Masterji, a Hindi romantic comedy directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, was released on 31 May 1985. With Rajesh Khanna as the titular widowed schoolteacher and Sridevi as the vivacious Radha, who falls for him and, after being rebuffed, publicly accuses him of an affair. The film was a remake of K. Bhagyaraj’s successful Tamil film Mundhanai Mudichu (1983), adapted for Bollywood audiences with its mix of comedy, romance, and drama.

The movie proved a significant box-office hit, marking a comeback for Rajesh Khanna after a lean period. Sridevi’s energetic performance, comic timing, and glamorous (often revealing) outfits, paired with catchy songs and the popular pairing with Khanna, drew massive crowds. It capitalised on the era’s trend of masala entertainers featuring high-energy heroines who seduced the lead and the audiences.

However, Masterji sparked notable controversies over its perceived vulgarity. Sridevi’s mother reportedly questioned the “vulgar things” her daughter performed, and Sridevi herself later reflected on the criticism, admitting she hadn’t realised the implications at the time. Dimple Kapadia, Khanna’s ex-wife, publicly criticised the film, calling out the age gap and suggesting Khanna was “too fat and old” to romance the much younger Sridevi. She advised him to choose roles that suited him better. Yet Dimple also expressed deep admiration for Sridevi, declaring her “unquestionably” the best heroine of the time and a great admirer of her talent.

Decades later, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Today, Janhvi Kapoor (Sridevi’s daughter) faces strikingly similar critiques regarding outfits and camera angles that objectify or sexualise her in Peddi - which is all set for release on June 4, 2026. Just as her mother faced flack in the 1980s, young Ms Kapoor is getting her feet on coals on social media. The male gaze, public scrutiny of female bodies on screen, and debates over “vulgarity” persist in contemporary Indian cinema - particularly in Telugu films.  

It was Masterji then, Peddi now - a reminder that while cinema evolves, certain societal attitudes towards women in the industry endure. 

Sridevi in costume for Masterji

Sridevi in costume for Masterji (1985).

One of the most controversial films that sparked a debate in Bollywood about the direction of Hindi cinema. Suggestive songs and dances, camera angles, double-meaning dialogues (out of the mouth of Rajesh Khanna) and near-universal bad reviews--irrelevant as the film was a huge hit. 

Sridevi took the critique to heart-- and changed her persona on the big-screen soon after. 

More in the archive here about what was said, what happened, and the grand shift that led to the beginning of superstar Sridevi. 
 

Gorgeous Sridevi on the sets of Masterji

Gorgeous Sridevi on the sets of Masterji 

One of the most controversial films of 1985.. for rather mundane reasons now! 

Go through our archives here.

Rajesh Khanna and Sridevi in Masterji (1985)

Rajesh Khanna, 43, and Sridevi, 22, in Masterji (1985).

Social mores have changed irrevocably, back then, Sridevi was lambasted in print for the controversial film with her senior co-star, her outfits, the innuendo and well, especially in Tamil and Telugu magazines, it was deemed unbecoming of their biggest star to shed a sari for success in the foreign soil of Bombay (then!). 

In a classic case of nothing succeeds like success, the film (temporarily!) revived the career of flaying Rajesh Khanna as it raked in big bucks, becoming the 12th biggest hit of 1985. Sridevi's career was on a steady incline in the early 80s and no slings and arrows of critics could harpoon her ballooning career. 

She did however cease any and every revealing shot after the disapproval of her mother Rajeshwari, the only opinion that mattered to her. 

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Sridevi in a tiara, reigning in white: Masterji (1985)

Sridevi in a tiara, reigning in white: Masterji (1985)

TBT: The Cold Turkeys of 1985: Bollywood Box-office Report

 

The Cold Turkeys
1985

Countless movies bombed during the year leaving no trace behind. Despite media hype that preceded them, and the screaming banners. 

Among them, Rajesh Khanna's home spun Alag Alag, Gulshan Rai's much-touted Yudh, Yash Chopra's love story Faasle, K Raghavendra Rao's disastrous Masterji Even the South Indian movie moghuls seemed to have lost their touch - each of their films left the box-office cold. Stone cold. 

Shows, if nothing else, that the audiences are no longer fooled by formulae junk. 

Notes;

Lol, above excerpt would be relevant even today. Clearly, history repeats itself. 

At the time of publication of the article, it didn't look like Masterji was doing well, but in the final tally, Masterji was not a flop - but considered the 12th biggest hit of the year. It was a slow but steady earner for producers. 

However, despite its success, Sridevi regretted doing the film and the flak she got for it. 

Sridevi's most controversial Hindi film was released 36 years ago: Once Upon a Time in Bollywood: Masterji

Released 36 years ago today, the Rajesh Khanna - Sridevi Hindi film Masterji was a big box office hit (in fact the 12th biggest hit of 1985), but the bad press that Sridevi got for it, changed the course of her career. Sridevi stopped doing roles with revealing outfits, overt sexuality, double entendre dialogues and famously glared at choreographers if they suggested dance steps or movements beyond her comfort zone. She also stopped working with the notoriously moody and mercurial superstar Rajesh Khanna. 

Sridevi's naiveite was visible when she expressed genuine shock and surprise at the flak she received by the media - and when the film was released with an "Adult" certificate, Sri, famous for having a large fan base of young people, was stunned. It was one of the few times Sridevi dismissed the film from her long list of box-office hits and never discussed the movie again. She also let her displeasure be known to the producers and makers for the way it was shot, the choreography, the suggestive dances and so on.   

Sridevi's no was a firm no, in the past she famously went along to get along. Never creating a scene or obstruction while shooting a film. In a way, it helped Sridevi understand her own power as she set the rules then on, never kowtowing to intimidating producers, directors or co-stars. 

Compared to the social mores of today, the film is tame, would barely raise an eye-brow, but back in the mid 1980s, Bollywood was a different minefield; some great films flopped  (Jaag Utha Insaan) while unexpected ones - like this and every film she did with Khanna - rocked the box-office. 

Archive of Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna features and images from the film Masterji here.

Sridevi, gold, green and glittering

Sridevi on the sets of Masterji back in 1985. Click to enlarge this Sridevi poster. 

More images in the archive here.

Sridevi addressing the controversy and critics of her role in Masterji

When Masterji was released in 1985, it was during the peak of remakes (the film was a remake of the Tamil hit Mundhanai Mudichu,1984). Film producers in the 80s used the south Indian market as a testing ground, the theory being if it works well in smaller centres, it might be able to repeat the formula again on a larger scale. This worked for a long time - hence the huge money spinning trend of remakes and endless Jeetendra Sridevi/Jaya Prada/Rekha movies shot quickly and within budget. The term Bollywood factory was coined somewhere along the way as stocks of these movies were couriered to cinemas dotted around the nation with regularity and clockwork precision. Most of them were walloped by critics (in fact, we hunted through reams of print trying to find one positive review, but couldn't). but absolutely no one in production cared as the cottage industry made huge returns.

Masterji went on to become the 12th biggest hit of 1985 (according to imdb) but the double-meaning dialogues, the sequined bikini tops of Sridevi, the zoom ogling shots and angled cinematography focusing on the actress' curves, well, it did not go down well with the critics; especially Sridevi's harshest critic, her mother (and original momager!) Rajeshwari. 

Excerpt from Sridevi's interview with Filmfare, October 1985;

Filmfare: How much satisfaction did you get from the film [Masterji]? What was her [Sridevi's mother's] reaction when she saw the film?
Sridevi: "I thought my performance was ordinary. But everybody has been telling me I was terrific. I am quite surprised with their reaction. My mother however was not pleased. She asked me, 'Why did you do all those vulgar things?' I told her, 'Really, mummy, I didn't realise that what I was doing was vulgar."

She sounds so innocent and genuine when she says this, like a little babe lost in the woods, that one can't help overlooking the contradiction in her statements.

What about the dream sequence? Didn't she realise what she was doing even in that scene?
Sridevi: "I don't want to sound like I'm trying to justify myself because I am not at all unhappy for having done the film. But sometimes, the camera work can make certain scenes look more vulgar than what you are actually doing. In the dream sequence they used the zoom which accentuated the vulgarity. Anyway, the film is finished, over. In future I'm not going to to wear any revealing outfits."

Filmfare: Suppose a director insists on it?
Sridevi: "If a director insists I'll be very careful to see if the scenes really demand it. Not as in Masterji."

Filmfare: Is she taking any other precaution to ensure she stays Number One for a long time? What are her criteria for accepting or rejecting a film?
Sridevi: "I am taking no precautions as such. But I feel I should be sincere to my work. Also, I am choosing only good roles - I'm being very particular about that. Of course, sometimes without realising it we do make mistakes.

"My criteria for accepting or rejecting a film? I like to listen to the story. But sometimes the story isn't ready. In which case, I see the director's past record. Recently a known director offered me a Telugu film opposite  Kamal Haasan. So I agreed. But later when he narrated the story I didn't like it. So I've been thinking of withdrawing from this venture."

Nearly two decades later, Sridevi said:

"Earlier I had a bindaas approach to acting; I was game to do anything crazy on screen. Today, it's different. I stop to think how my daughters may react to what I do. I've become more careful now." 

-- Sridevi, November 2004 in Filmfare.

Below: A page out of Filmfare. The caption on the Sridevi picture: Sridevi.. a rage with the masses, has now graduated to the 'class' level.  

Sridevi's controversial costumes from the film! 

Sridevi,  "I am not so keen to wear all those revealing clothes. I have nothing against wearing sexy clothes, but I certainly mind vulgarity. The same clothes can look sexy or obscene depending on a whole lot of other things. Take Masterji for example. I have worn the kind of clothes I wore in Maserji in my other films too, but they looked obscene in this particular film because of the suggestive actions and double entendre. I have refused to wear sexy costumes in these kind of films. Surely, I can use my discretion to know the intentions of the producer and decide if the costume will look sexy or vulgar on screen. Besides, I have proved I can be glamorous. Now I want to prove that I am good actress too. I want to dispkay my histrionics and not just my body. " 

 -- Sridevi, MOVIE January 1986.

As told to reporter Girija Nair 

Sridevi's seductions in Masterji: In 1985 this movie was given an "A" Adult certificate!!

Masterji was a massive hit in 1985. The summer blockbuster sizzled - and so did Sridevi. However, the film was not well-received by critics and rumour has it that Sridevi wasn't too happy with how she was projected in the film and uncomfortable with the dare-bare outfits (entirely tame by today's standards!).

When the movie was released, Dimple Kapadia famously took shots at her famous ex-husband, but said about Sridevi, ""The best heroine around today is, unquestionably, Sridevi. She's miles ahead of the rest and I am a great admirer of her. If you as me who my favourite is, the answer would be simple. Sridevi. She is number one."

As Sridevi strode up the ladder of success and ruled over Bollywood, she brought in her own designers and was firm in what she would and wouldn't wear on and off screen.

Sridevi on the cover of Film City magazine: "Yes, I'm sexy!"

Stills from the film Masterji, the sensationalised headlines that sold millions of tabloids. The sensuous siren from the south; Sridevi.

This cover shot from 1985, when tabloids were Rs2.50!