Naaka Bandi: Mahurat to Last shift

The cast and crew of Naaka Bandi. 

The first mahurat shot where you can see Sridevi, Chunky Panday, Sonam and a... surprise appearance from Boney Kapoor! 

Below, ? Dharmendra, Sridevi, Chunky Panday and ?

Sridevi

Sridevi's look from Naaka Bandi. Was tempted to ai correct this image but ai overcorrects and just doesn't get it right - changes the face too much...

The chatgpt colour correction... It just doesn't look like Sridevi does it?! A passing resemblance, but not Sridevi. 

 

36 years of Naaka Bandi: Dharmendra and Sridevi's... hit?!

Released on 4 May 1990, Naaka Bandi was completely written off by film critics, had just dreadful reviews, cannot think of a single person who loved this movie, a film so bad, Sridevi had sniffed that the movie would be painful to watch and she didn't even bother to turn up to the premiere citing "date problems" ie, she was away on location for a film shoot - which could have been plausible as she was at the peak of her sizzling career. 

And yet, the movie was a hit. Well, it recovered its exorbitant costs. Box-office powered by the star wattage of the leads, the movie recuperated its production costs.  

Though they appeared in a few films together, this was the only movie Dharmendra and Sridevi were paired together - and yes, the age gap was noteworthy - Dharmji was 28 years her senior. In fact, Sridevi appeared in films with Sunny Deol, Dharmendra's eldest son, more often than Deol Snr! 

It's the only film which included Sonam and Sridevi - Sonam was and remains a Sridevi superfan. It's also the only film Chunky Panday appeared in with Sridevi - and he was famously not a Sridevi fan; he preferred Rekha and Jaya Prada and mentioned as much in print back in the day. Oh well, not all can be born with taste. 

Rare pic: Dharmendra with Sridevi at the Ghayal success party

Sridevi in Naaka Bandi (1990)

 

Sridevi in Naaka Bandi (1990). Released on 9 May 1990 [some say 4 May--depends on territory], the star power of Dharmendra and Sridevi fueled this film... despite it being a rather God-awful movie. Have seen the songs and dances and comedy of Sridevi several times. The movie as a whole... unwatchable. 

And yet, the film covered its costs and performed reasonably well at the box office, though it was not a massive blockbuster as expected on account of its large, mostly bankable cast. The film, starring Dharmendra, Sridevi, Chunky Pandey, Sonam and others, was classified as an "Average" verdict ie the film earned enough to cover its production and distribution costs, often with modest profits or breaking even in key territories, without being a clear hit or flop. Naaka Bandi ranked among the higher-grossing films of 1990 in some lists (e.g., noted as the 15th highest grosser or in top grossers discussions). 

Distributors recovered their investments and earned some commission (i.e., it recovered costs, with good performance in regions like C.P. & C.I. circuits). It was not a flop; sources consistently avoid labeling it as such, and it had commercial viability as a typical 1990s action-revenge drama.

The songs of the film chartered well - the title song was a smash hit - Usha Uthup did her magic singing the song composed by Bappi Lahiri - and Sridevi dazzled on the big screen - above costume included! 

Sridevi's polka-dotted dress for Naaka Bandi

Sridevi's polka-dotted dress for Naaka Bandi 

 

Sridevi with Dharmendra in Naaka Bandi

 

35 Years of Naaka Bandi: Sridevi dominating the poster.

Naaka Bandi, released on May 4,1990 (just five months after Chaalbaaz, just two months after she won Best Actress for the same!) and Sridevi dominated the publicity posters of the multi-starcast film! Sure there are other posters with Dharmendra and Sridevi, but none had solo posters like her - and so much of her. 

Reminder, Naaka Bandi had a starcast of Dharmendra, Chunky Pandey, Sonam (Oye Oye Sonam, not Anil Kapoor's eldest!), Amrish Puri etc. But look who gets all the real estate of this publicity still! 

 If people loved two Sridevi's in Chaalbaaz, wouldn't they love 9 Sridevis in one poster?! Ah the logic... 

Sridevi: Queen of Comedy: Naaka Bandi

Too cute... 

Sridevi! 

Beautiful Sridevi in Naaka Bandi

Sridevi looks sooooo beautiful in the God-awful movie Naaka Bandi. Believe it or faint, it was the 11th biggest hit of 1990, fueled by the star wattage of Dharmendra, who has a surprising lot of blockbusters to his credit but most that go unrecognised or acknowledged as huge successes. Truth is, they were mostly oddball films that were successful with the masses, but not the critics. While, Naaka Bandi is a prime example of such a hit, so is Hukumat, which was a bigger hit that Mr. India in 1987, but not many contemporary audiences can remember anything about it. 

While many stake their claim they fell in love with Sridevi when they saw Sadma, Mr.India, Chandni, Lamhe... all the way to English Vinglish, I was nuts for Sridevi after this terrible, terrible film. I remember distinctly positing this absurd theory; if she's so good in a bad film, imagine how great she'd be in a good one?! The hypothesis stands!

Sridevi: The moment I fell in love with Sridevi: Super talent, Comedic Genius

 Sridevi: The moment I fell in love with Sridevi: Super talent, Comedic Genius 

 Naaka Bandi moment that showcased Sridevi's infinite pool of talent... 

Sridevi in Naaka Bandi (1990)

Sridevi in Naaka Bandi (1990). So gorgeous. 

After the peak of Chandni and Chaalbaaz a few months before, a few poor film choices/director/banners/scripts and Sridevi tripped from the top of the stairs, but got a grip later. 

Once an actress, always an actress. Lackluster box-office clouds may have covered her natural luminescence, but her eternal light now shines on. Little did she know by age 21, she had already created her space in the pantheon of all-time greats... 

There once was a lady called Sridevi, and she was born to be an actress, a once-in-a-lifetime supernova.  

Sridevi rocked out the title song of Naaka Bandi: The pre-Gaga, Sia, Popstar rock look, there was Sri

Sridevi rocked out the title song of Naaka Bandi: The pre-Gaga, Sia, Popstar rock look, there was Sri. The title song of the film - sung by the incredible Usha Uthup - rocked the charts. 

The look and costumes were 🔥

We have a huge archive of all of Sridevi's looks for the film here. 

Rare Pic: Sridevi in Naaka Bandi

 

Rare Pic: Sridevi in Naaka Bandi 
 

Love, LOVE to find a pic I've never seen before. Eg this rare pic of Sridevi on the sets of the film Naaka Bandi! 

Left: Rare pic of choreographer Saroj Khan with Sridevi on the sets of Naaka Bandi. 

Sridevi tries to seduce Dharmendra in Naaka Bandi

Sridevi, 27, tries to seduce Dharmendra, 55, in Naaka Bandi (1990)! 

Sridevi in Naaka Bandi: Too cute: Too funny: Too talented

Sridevi in Naaka Bandi: Too cute: Too funny: Too talented

Sridevi on the posters of Naaka Bandi

Sridevi, Dharmendra, Chunky Pandey, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Amrish Puri on the film posters of the Hindi film Naaka Bandi 

Rare photos from the 90s

Rare Pic: Sridevi on the sets of Naaka Bandi

Rare pic: Sridevi on the sets of Naaka Bandi 

Sridevi dazzling costumes in Naaka Bandi

 Sridevi dazzling costumes in Naaka Bandi - very Gaga lite, very Grace Jones in the 80s... 

Dharmendra and Sridevi in Naaka Bandi (1990)

 

Rare pics: Dharemndra with Sridevi from the film Naaka Bandi

Launched in 1988, but released in 1990, the much delayed film had a huge star cast and hype... but ultimately failed at the box-office.