The cast of Bhagwaan Dada: Tina Munim, Rajinikanth, Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan

The cast of Bhagwaan Dada: Tina Munim, Rajinikanth, Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan. 

Superstar Rajinikanth with superstar-in-the-making, young Hrithik Roshan. 

 

Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan and J. V. Somayajulu in Jaag Utha Insan (1984)

Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan and J. V. Somayajulu in Jaag Utha Insan (1984). Sridevi's most underrated performance - and a fine film. 

Released on 6 July 1984, the Hindi version of legendary filmmaker K Viswanath's own Telugu film Saptapadi (1981) wasn't a huge hit. The tragic love story between a Dalit boy and a Brahmin Girl, played by Mithun Chakraborty and Sridevi respectively in the lead roles, supported by Rakesh Roshan, J V Somayajulu Deven Verma, Sujit Kumar. While the original film was a hit and garnered much acclaim, the Hindi movie didn't touch the pan-Indian audience. 

Sridevi, all of 21, looked, acted and danced like the dream she was. While this film flopped, by 1984, she had already dethroned her senior and raced ahead of her contemporaries and declared the Number One female star of pan-Indian cinema. Sridevi reigned supreme with an unprecedented run of hit films starting with Himmatwala in 1983, followed with successive hits Mawaali, Justice Chaudhury, Jaani Dost (all in '83) followed by the top slots in 1984; Tohfa, Maqsad and Inquilaab. 

Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan, Tina Munim and Rajinikanth in Bhagwaan Dada in 1986

Sridevi, Rakesh Roshan, Tina Munim and Rajinikanth in Bhagwaan Dada in 1986

TBT to 1994: Sridevi replaced by Rakesh Roshan? The Gossip!

TBT to 1994: Sridevi replaced by Rakesh Roshan? The Gossip!
 

Rare still: Sridevi and Rakesh Roshan on the sets of Bhagwaan Daada

 

Rare still: Sridevi and Rakesh Roshan on the sets of Bhagwaan Daada

Rakesh Roshan with Sridevi in Bhagwaan Daada

Rare still: Rakesh Roshan with Sridevi in Bhagwaan Daada. The film's producer, director and actor was born on September 6, 1949. He turns 75 today and we wish the fine filmmaker well. 

He was 14 years older than Sridevi and the two got along famously as he was amazed by Sridevi's famed professionalism and staggering work ethic. 

We have a huge archive of the two together over the years here. 

 

 

TBT to 1999: Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Sridevi at Rakesh Roshan's 50th birthday party

A major throwback pic - Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Sridevi at Rakesh Roshan's 50th birthday party. Dear GOD does someone have a clearer pic?? 

September 6, 1999

Today, actor, producer and director Rakesh Roshan turns 75. Rakesh Roshan acted in one of my all-time favourite films, Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Khoobsurat. And a film he made that flopped but I loved was Khel, His innings as an actor may not have reached the levels of say a Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra or even Rishi Kapoor, but as producer/director he's in a league of his own - catapulted by the launch and birth of an overnight superstar 2000, Hrithik Roshan. All his films with "Duggu" have been smash successes. Now the world awaits Krrish 4. 

Rakesh Roshan, J. V. Somayajulu and Sridevi in Jaag Utha Insan (1984)

Rakesh Roshan, J. V. Somayajulu and Sridevi in Jaag Utha Insan (1984)

Getting the Telugu legend JV Somayajulu to appear in a Hindi film... incredible!  Well, the remake of Saptapadi (Telugu classic from 1981), who else but the original actor? 

 

Rare still: Sridevi and Rakesh Roshan in Bhagwaan Dada (1986)

Rare still: Sridevi and Rakesh Roshan in Bhagwaan Dada (1986) 
 

Rare Pic: Sridevi with Rakesh Roshan in Bhagwaan Daada

 Sridevi and Rakesh Roshan in Bhagwaan Daada. 

A rare still from the film. 

Happy Birthday Rakesh Roshan: Sridevi's co-star, producer and director turns 73

Happy Birthday Rakesh Roshan: Sridevi's co-star, producer and director turns 73. A decent actor who met middling success at the movies, when he turned producer and director, the fates at long-last favoured a good man in the Hindi film industry. 

Rakesh Roshan has worked in or made some of my all-time favourite Hindi movies. His early days as an actor when he appeared in comedies like Khoobsurat, or his pure escapism and magical box-office of Khoon Bhari Maang, Kishen Kanhayiaa, Kaho Na Pyar Hai and so on. Though Khel wasn't a huge hit, it's one of my all-time favourite comedies with Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher and the underrated legend Mala Singha. 

Sridevi and Rakesh Roshan worked together and were friends from Sri's early days in Bollywood - much of which we've archived here. 

Rakesh Roshan, In Awe of Sridevi's Work Ethic: Happy Birthday Rakesh Roshan

 

Rakesh Roshan turns 72 today. Actor, producer and director Roshan Snr - to current gen known as simply Hrithik Roshan's father - but to our gen, the star of several memorable movies including Khoobsurat (with Rekha) and Jaag Utha Insan with Sridevi. He was a fine and capable actor but he excelled as producer and director. One of the hardest working men on set - we've seen him in action and the man is technically proficient and self-taught for which he should be given due credit. 

While working with Sridevi for the first time back in 1984, he spoke to India Today.

"Marvels actor Rakesh Roshan who starred opposite her in his own venture, Jaag Utha Insan: "She takes her work very seriously down to the smallest detail. During the movie she worked till 10 p.m. on a song and dance picturisation then rushed to Gopi Krishna for a dance lesson and was back on the sets for rehearsals at 7 a.m. I wish other heroines of her stature would put in so much hard work."

-- August, 1984, India Today

Happy birthday Rakesh Roshan. We await for the Krrish sequel... 

But on a personal front, wish Roshan Snr would re-make Khel - it was an excellent comedy (a personal fav) and deserved a better audience. Check it out! 

More of Sridevi with Rakesh Roshan over the years here.

TBT: Premiere of Mr.India May 25, 1987: 34 Anniversary of Iconic Indian film

34 years ago today, Mr.India was released on 25 May 1987. One of Sridevi and Anil Kapoor's most memorable blockbusters and all-time favourite film of a generation of cine-goers. Shekhar Kapur's second directorial venture - it was the second biggest hit of '87 (it lost out the prime number one position to Hukumat (Dharmenda film) which is remembered for.... um... nothing really! [Years from now a generation of film fans will similarly wonder about Radhe - why was it such a big ratings hit when the movie was so God-awful!]

Below, rare pictures from the grand premiere of the blockbuster, Mr.India. 

Rare glimpses of what went on that memorable night back in the summer of 1987. 

Young Hrithik Roshan arrives with father Rakesh Roshan for the premiere of Mr.India

Above: Sridevi with her only sister Sreelatha at the premiere of the movie. We think the young girl was probably Maheshwari... 

Sridevi with choreographer Saroj Khan, Amrish Puri, director Shekhar Kapur, Anil Kapoor, music director Laxmikant with his wife - and film producer Boney Kapoor. 

Vinod Khanna with Sridevi 

Above: The cast and crew of Mr.India: Cinematographer Baba Azmi, Anil Kapoor, ?, Sridevi, Amrish Puri and writer and lyricist Javed Akthar. 

Below the Lehrein Retro video feature on the lavish premiere of the movie! 

We have 90 posts on the film Mr.India in our archives here.

The only awards Mr.India won during its time here. 

The enduring friendship of Rakesh Roshan and Sridevi: Actor, Producer Director with Bollywood's Chandni Sridevi

We don't know how this slipped us by, but Rakesh Roshan and Sridevi have worked together for decades and had an enduring, low-key friendship from the get-go. Sridevi acted in several films produced by Rakesh Roshan, though they were infrequent co-stars (Sri was often paired by someone else). Sridevi was the leading lady in Jaag Utha Insaan, Bhagwaan Dada and Roshan Snr offered her films along the way, which invariably Sridevi turned down for various reasons. 

At all the major premiers and parties hosted by the Roshans, Sridevi attended. Sridevi presented Hrithik Roshan his first major award and, technically, she was his first-costar when he was a child-artist in Bhagwan Daada too. 

Yeh Chand(ni) sa Roshan chehra... 

Saddened & shocked #Sridevi God give strength to family for untimely demise. RIP

3:37 PM · Feb 25, 2018 from Mumbai, India·Twitter for iPhone