Rare photo of Sridevi: Styled by Neeta Lulla, Photography by Rakesh Shreshta

A rarely seen photograph of Sridevi from the late 90s, styled by Neeta Lulla, photographed by Rakesh Shreshta. Yes, a real pic - if its fake or AI, I will always, ALWAYS, label it as such. 

More from this photoshoot in the archives here and here.

Filmfare: Sridevi: The Last Empress?

 

SRIDEVI: The Last Empress? 

She's been up there. Right on top. At the most coveted spot. Number One. Like a rock, on the shifting sands of stardom. Unmindful of the 'competition' thrown up by the media. 

Rakesh Shreshta captures Sridevi - during the making of Lamhe. 

Sridevi in 1991

A photoshoot Sridevi did in the early 90s - that was later used for publicity stills for Gumrah. Shot by Sridevi's favourite photographer Rakesh Shreshta

Sridevi in denim

Too cute! 

Sridevi in Rakesh Shreshta's studio 

Sridevi in a black gown: 90s high glamour photoshoot

Gown and glory of... the great Sridevi. 

Rakesh Shreshta photography as usual - we have the outtakes and behind the scenes shots of this studio shoot with Sridevi in the archive. 

Sridevi

Early 90s MOVIE magazine centrefold, Sridevi. Shot by Rakesh Shreshta.

Sridevi

Rakesh Shreshta could always make Sridevi laugh on cam. 

Outtake from early 90s photoshoot. 

The denim, casual look was refreshing. Sridevi not in an elaborate costume and makeup for a change. 
 

Sridevi: The Last Empress? Filmfare's cover

 

Filmfare cover shoot by Rakesh Shreshta. Sridevi rocks it out - these images came out first and were later used during Gumrah promotions.

Sridevi in Rajasthan

Sridevi in Rajasthan - during the making of Lamhe. You can see a shaved Anil Kapoor skuttling away from the shot... 

A Rakesh Shreshta portrait of the great Sridevi. 

Gorgeous Sridevi on the cover of Mayapuri magazine

 

मायापुरी (Mayapuri) → One of India's oldest and most popular Hindi film weekly magazines.

पारिवारिक फिल्म साप्ताहिक → Parivarik Film Saptahik, Family Film Weekly

Issue details: अंक 943 → Issue No. 943

रंगीन चित्रों से भरपूर → Full of colourful pictures

Rs. 3 

वहाँ पहुँचने पर ज़िम्मेदारी बहुत बढ़ जाती है Translation: "When you reach the top, the responsibility increases a lot."

Sridevi

Early 90s shoot - Rakesh Shreshta photography.

These images were used for Gumrah later. 
 

Sridevi: 90s Glamour: Neeta Lulla styles. Rakesh Shreshta photographs the Indian icon

 More images from this shoot in the archive here and here.

Sridevi with her favourite photographer: Rakesh Shreshta

Sridevi, Rakesh Shreshta and director Mukul Anand 

The only reason I know of Rakesh Shrestha is because of magazine credits in the late 1980s and early 90s, found in the folds of many a Bollywood-based film magazine-- somehow, all my favourite images (particularly those of Sridevi, Manisha Koirala, on occasion Rekha) were by this mysterious man who seemed to have access, a deep friendship and confidence of ALL the tops stars of their time. Very little is known about him publicly... which might be his wish, but we wanted to secure his status as one of the greats that percolated Mumbai film industry and the juggernaut that is Bollywood.  

So here's a mini dive. The once prominent Indian still-photographer is best known for his extensive work in Bollywood, where he captured publicity stills of major movies, and special photography for over 600 films, making him a prominent part of not just film journalism, but films itself. His images were used to launch stars, films, film magazines, film posters, the iconography of Hindi cinema. 

Gumrah set: Sridevi - with Rakesh in the background

Born on October 5, 1956, in Bombay (now Mumbai) to a family of Nepali origin, he was raised in the city which would be synonymous with the film capital of the world. A commerce graduate, he initially worked in a colour lab handling accounts before transitioning to photography. Without formal training or assisting others, he started in the early 1980s with a modest camera, initially doing urgent passport photos and building confidence through persistence and self-taught skills.

Neetu Singh

His breakthrough came after persistently approaching actress Neetu Singh on film sets, eventually shooting her for a magazine cover that launched his career. This led to long-term collaborations with major stars, including Rekha (with whom he worked extensively starting around 1981 and praised for her professionalism, creativity, and technical knowledge of lighting/makeup), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (whom he called one of the most beautiful actresses he photographed), Sridevi, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, and many others. 

Notable film credits include still photography for Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), 1942: A Love Story (1994), Vaastav: The Reality (1999), and others, often for major productions like Yash Raj Films.

He built a successful career through charm, persistence, and creating comfortable environments for stars. 

After the tragic death of his first wife, Jean, in 2009, he significantly slowed down and largely stepped back from active work to support his beloved son Rohan Shrestha’s photography career (avoiding competition for assignments) and focus on family. He has a second son, Rihaan, from his later marriage.

Shrestha is remembered as a self-made industry veteran who documented key eras of Hindi cinema through his lens. 

In the west, most photographers recap their portfolio in mighty coffee table books and so far, Shreshta has resisted the temptation to publish his incredible work over the past 40 years. One imagines the sheer volume of negatives and series of images of stars to be monumental; a herculean task awaits. We all live in hope he'll publish a book that's not only a retrospective of his personal musings and muses, but an archive of some of the greatest stars that came and went in the transient space that is Bollywood. Stars shine and fade, supernovas are forever-- Rakesh Shreshta in capturing many celebrities is at risk of being one himself. 

My massive archive of Rakesh Shreshta photos are here and here. 

Sridevi on the sets of Chandni - throwback to 1988

 

Rare pic: The Sridevi centrefold from the 90s: Rakesh Shreshta captures the Queen of Bollywood

 

This rare pic - have not seen many outtakes of this tie-dyed look - was published in Stardust annual in the early 1990s. Photographed by Sridevi's favourite Rakesh Shreshta... or was she, his favourite? Either way. This is a slightly altered image of Sridevi as fans will note - the original image is in the archive here - we asked Grok to remove the folded page wrinkle and centre the image. 

Sridevi

 

Sridevi, 25, on the set of a cover shoot for MOVIE magazine.

Photo by Rakesh Shreshta. 

Sridevi

Rakesha Shreshta captured all the fun pics of Sridevi. 

Sridevi in UK: Her look for Lamhe

 

Rakesh Shreshta captures regal Sridevi in the UK for Lamhe.

Sridevi's microphone shoot with Rakesh Shreshta

 

Sridevi's microphone shoot with Rakesh Shreshta! This was shot long before Gumrah, but the image was used for film promotions. 

Sridevi's beachy look for Showtime

Not a favourite shoot - but any rarely seen photo of Sridevi and most intrigued.