Sridevi with K Balachander on the sets of Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980)

Sridevi with K Balachander on the sets of the Tamil film Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980) 

Sridevi as a bride, with Rajnikanth

Sridevi looking gorgeous as a traditional Tamilian bride on the set of Pokkiri Raja (1982) With Rajnikanth.

Sridevi and Rajinikanth on the sets of Johnny (1980)

 

"I’ve wondered if it was the angle of her gaze, the way she carried herself, or just the way the story was told that makes this such an ageless photo for me. She certainly left an impression on me when I walked out of the sets of Johnny (1980)."

~Stills Ravi

Reviews of Sridevi from as far back as 1980 shows that she had a knack of stealing the show from the male leads - and they needed to be wary of her overpowering them with her unadulterated talent.

Johnny was released on 15 August 1980. Piousji from Sunday magazine wrote, "Sridevi not only looked smart, but came out with a convincing performance and [Rajinikanth] too was quite impressive" in Johnny.

The Hindu wrote: "In a film where Rajinikanth played two contrasting roles, Sridevi effortlessly stole the show with her extraordinary performance as a singer hopelessly in love with a conman".

Rajinikanth remembers Sridevi with great fondness, "She was an excellent person. A good artist. She was actually a child artist. Her first film as an adult was Mundru Mudichu and we acted together in it."

Sridevi in various Tamil and Telugu Films

Sridevi as a child artist with Jayalalitha and MGR

Sridevi he acted with Jayalalitha in Thirumangalyam, Kandan Karunai and Adi Parashakti.

She acted with Sivaji Ganesan as a child in Babu and also was paired opposite him in Sandhippu (1983). She acted as a child with M.G.Ramachandran in Nam Naadu.

Sridevi tweets her condolences as Jayalalitha is laid to rest

Jayalalitha with young Sridevi

As a child star, Sridevi acted with Jayalalitha in five films. While Sridevi went on to become the Queen of Bollywood, Jayalalitha left the film industry (with over 140 movies in several languages to her credit) and went on to join, well, rule politics in her signature style.

Most memorably, Sridevi acted with Jayalalitha in Thirumangalyam, Kandan Karunai and Adi Parashakti.

As we just heard the news of the passing of Jayalalitha on Dec 5, we have been tracing the responses online. Fans posted these images on social media and we've collected the snippets and pics - related to Sridevi. Obv.

E.g. we found this archival image of the actress Jayalalitha (very different from the politico) and young Sridevi as Lord Muruga. Sridevi acted with Jayalalitha in Aadhi Parasakthi (directed by KS Gopalakrishnan) which was a huge success in its time.

Over the past few decades, the two met on and off when Sridevi visited Chennai. During the release of Gumraah, Jayalalitha was doing a hunger strike in Tamil Nadu over some issue and Sridevi went to visit her -  much to the chagrin of her detractors, and banned the film on several screens. Sridevi went on to state that she visited the Chief Minister on a personal basis and had nothing to do with politics but, her defense fell onto deaf ears. Well. Such is the irrational world of politics in India.

SRIDEVI BONEY KAPOOR ‏@SrideviBKapoor 19h19 hours ago 

A great leader who drew huge respect,love,adulation & worshiped by millions of followers,the country will surely miss Jayalalithaa Amma. RIP

SRIDEVI BONEY KAPOOR ‏@SrideviBKapoor 2h2 hours ago

The most articulate dignified,cultured & caring lady, lucky to have worked with her. I Along with millions of our people will miss her.


The last time the two met in person was at the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema held in Chennai, where Sridevi was honoured for her contribution to south Indian cinema.

UPDATE: Sridevi does her condolence visit...

Return to Form: Sridevi returns to Tamil cinema after long hiatus

Sensational Indian actress Sridevi Kapoor returned to acting after a long break with English Vinglish, which was dubbed in Tamil as Aangilam Vaangilam where Ajith Kumar played a cameo. After returning to films and the movie's unprecedented success the world-over, the iconic actress was showered with film offers throughout India.

However, the 50-year-old superstar was not in a hurry to accept any, simply because she wanted to be part of good movies only and was in no rush to head back to a film set without good reason.

After close to a three decade absence, she has finally accepted a 'Tollywood' movie. Sridevi, who shot to fame in South movies, had bid goodbye then to regional films in order to make it big in Bollywood. Now, when the offer of Vijay's movie came her way, she has finally given the nod of approval to return to Tamil films once again.

Sridevi gave her consent without too many concerns because the script was good. However, her acceptance came with a few conditions. The yesteryear actress has laid down several criteria in order to act in the upcoming film. The producers have agreed to meet all her demands and signed her for the ambitious, mega-budget project.

Apart from laying down numerous clauses, Sridevi, allegedly, also demanded a fat paycheque in order to act in the Tamil movie. The makers of the movie were initially concerned about paying her such a hefty fee. Back in her heyday, Sridevi was the highest paid actress in India before she went on her self-imposed, 15-year hiatus. Despite the hefty fiscal demand, the film producers were convinced easily -  after they recognised that 'the' Sridevi brings in a huge value to the project. After some negotiation, the deal was sealed.

Rumours are, Sridevi will be seen as a princess in this forthcoming film. It is a fantasy/thriller, costume-drama, which has some of the biggest names of Indian cinema leading the cast. Sridevi Kapoor's portions will appear in a flashback episode. Her role is equivalent to the main female lead and she receives top billing as per her stature as one of the most beloved, nationally (and now internationally!) recognised actresses of all time.

Naan Adimai Illai (1986)

Sridevi's last Tamil movie was Naan Adimai Illai (1986) with superstar Rajnikanth. The movie was directed by Kannada actor/filmmaker Dwarakish. Sridevi is finally all set to make her comeback to southern films after a long, much-missed gap.

The forthcoming Tamil movie is directed by Chimbudevan,  Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep and Shruti Hassan (eldest daughter of Kamal Hassan - who starred in innumerable movies with Sri) are also in the cast of this highly anticipated film.

Read more at: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/tamil/news/2014/sridevi-turns-princess-vijay-152835.html