Sridevi with Parveen Babi in Jaani Dost

Born on April 4, Parveen Babi was a 'beauty queen' (if you remember the song?!). Today is her birth anniversary and she's truly an icon of Indian cinema who changed the restricted box that pigeon holed leading ladies in. 

She was modern, fearless, wore contemporary fashion, was no damsel in distress, she showed agency, sexual liberation and, female empowerment without standing on a soapbox. Her western-wear and flair was attainable (Zeenat Aman did something similar but Z's body was perfection--impossible to replicate!). 

Its hard to believe Sridevi and Parveen Babi crossed paths as they were icons of different eras and Parveen was a decade older, but they worked briefly in one film together, Jaani Dost, paired with Dharmendra and Jeetendra respectively. 

While it was common to pit one actress after another (still is!), the two got along famously. Sridevi was just stepping into Bollywood and, tragically, Parveen was stepping out due to mental health issues and self-sabotaging paranoia brought on by her then undiagnosed schizophrenia. Later it came to light all that ailed and failed her, and she died in such tragic circumstances. 

But let's remember Parveen Babi as the gorgeous and glamorous icon that she was. 

RELATED FEATURES

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• Archive of Sridevi and Parveen Babi images here.
• Archive of Jaani Dost here. 
• Sridevi in 1983 here. 

Parveen Babi with Sridevi in Jaani Dost (1983)

Parveen Babi, 29, with Sridevi, 19, in Jaani Dost (1983) 

Hindi cinema icons. It was Sridevi's first year of success in Bollywood and Parveen was already a top leading lady. While the media flamed the fires of cat fights among actresses, these two lading ladies were immune to the gossip and got along well. Both spoke kindly of the other, Parveen broke the mold of what a Hindi film heroine was, Sridevi was that rare, raw talent from the South who blazed her own way too. 

Both appeared in the multi-star cast big budget melodrama Jaani Dost, Parveen was Dharmendra's co-star and Sridevi was Jeetendra's. 
 

Below: Dharmendra, Parveen Babi, Sridevi and Jeetendra on the sets of Jaani Dost. Page from a feature on celebs in Bollywood in the 1980s! Some things don't change... 

Rare poster: Sridevi with Parveen Babi in Jaani Dost (1983)

Rare poster: Sridevi with Parveen Babi in Jaani Dost (1983) 

Sridevi's kiss for Parveen Babi: April 4, Birth anniversary of a 70s Screen Icon, the complex Parveen Babi

Sridevi's kiss for Parveen Babi, in the film Jaani Dost (1983) 

April 4, Birth anniversary of a 70s Screen Icon, the complex Parveen Babi. 

Sridevi and Parveen acted in one film together, the only time the 70s and 80s icons met on screen. And the two shared a warm rapport - when Parveen went on her tell-all interview tour later in life, she only had kind things to say about Sridevi. But then Sri had few rifts with her co-stars.  

Parveen's personal trauma and tragedy has been written about too much, and at mostly in unflattering light - we'd like to remember her during the best of her days. Glamorous, gorgeous, gifted, a fashion icon, a brave actor and a fearless one who brought modern complexity to the role of leading lady, instead of the usual, 'Nahin mujhe bachao', damsel in distress trope, while waiting for the hero to rescue her. 

Parveen Babi often portrayed unapologetic characters, a reflection of her own unapologetic self. Remembering her today, on her 69th Birth Anniversary. 

Jaani Dost and Adavi Simhalu in 1983: Sridevi shoots the same film in Telugu and Hindi simultaneously

Jaani Dost (Best Friends) was released in 1983, produced by C. Ashwini Dutt, M. Arjuna Raju, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. 

It stars Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Parveen Babi, Sridevi, with music composed by Bappi Lahiri. 

The film was simultaneously made along with the Telugu-language movie Adavi Simhalu, with Krishna, Krishnam Raju, Sridevi and Jaya Prada in pivotal roles. 

Sridevi appeared in both films - Jaya Prada in only the Telugu version (amidst some controversy as Parveen Babi did her role in the Hindi version). 

Both the movies were made simultaneously by the same producer and director, some of the scenes and actors are identical in both the versions. The grand finale song was shot simultaneously, hence this star-studded tree; seven superstars of South Indian and Hindi film industry with Sridevi standing front and centre.

The Telugu version hit the theatres first on April 28th, and the Hindi was released a month later on 27th May 1983. Oddly enough, Adavi Simhalu was a smash while Jaani Dost just barely broke even. 

Left: Sridevi on the sets of the Telugu film Adavi Simhalu back in 1983. 

Parveen Babi, Sridevi, Jeetendra and Dharmendra in Jaani Dost (1983)

Jeetendra, Sridevi, Parveen Babi and Dharmendra on the sets of the film Jaani Dost back in 1983.

Parveen Babi, who was famously caustic with most of Bollywood (especially speaking out against Amitabh Bachchan!) said Sridevi was very sweet to work with.

One of Sridevi's earlier films, its so rare to find snaps from the early 1980s of vintage Sri online. Thankfully we do courtesy of kind and generous fellow Sridevi fans (aka Sridevians; a great word play on Dravidians!) and keep adding to this archive!

Sridevi and Jeetendra in Jaani Dost

Though the film did not recover its costs, Sridevi and Jeetendra went on to do several films together to astounding success at the box office. We've seen the film... its not great. "Time pass."

Rare pic: Sridevi, Jeetendra and Parveen Babi

Vintage posts of the Sridevi - Jeetendra film Jaani Dost (1983) below. Bollywood film art at its kitsch-y-est! This was just a moment after Sridevi had set foot in Bollywood as a newcomer. After her rapid rise, Sridevi featured predominantly in film posters within the year.

 

Left: Sridevi's kiss for screen icon Parveen Babi: Still from the film Jaani Dost

Below: Rare pic of Dharmendra, Sridevi and Jeetendra