The Sridevi centrefold: Robe, glasses, library

 

Have an inkling this was published in G magazine - the one issue I don't have! But would love to grab - a centrefold with Sridevi, shot by the late great Gautam da.

Sridevi

Ah! One of the few books about Sridevi that she got to witness in person live. 

Bless.

 

Another book on Sridevi? Why yes!

 

Adding to the roster of books about Sridevi, another title rears its head in 2023; Sridevi, The South Years by Amborish Roychoudhury. 

Unlike the other book that's also due for release this year, we are actually excited about this one. Firstly, a better writer behind the work and some sincere effort/research/time/development has been put into this one. This isn't a shotgun book trying to cash in on the interest that spiked on all-things Sridevi, the year of her passing, but there's a period of grace given to the study of an icon.  

Of all the books on Sridevi so far, I've only liked one, obviously its Satyarth Nayak's well-researched effort. 

Excerpt from the author Amborish Roychoudhury:

I started writing it in 2018, the year of her passing, finished it in 2021, and that labour of love is being born now, 5 years later. And it is not a biography.

She would be 60 next month. Before she made #Bollywood swoon at her feet, she was a sensation down South. But this was a whole different #Sridevi. Unlike Bollywood, she wasn't merely a diva there. She was a thespian. She got to lock horns with legends. She worked with them, learned from them and, in her own way, upstaged them when her time came. This book tells that story. The story of the making of a Goddess. Story of a Sridevi you don't know yet.

Language was the tallest barrier to overcome. I had to watch countless films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. For a Bengali, it was a formidable task, but I had plenty of help. The legendary @ikamalhaasan and the incredible @baradwajrangan graciously agreed to write Forewords. The great RGV, used to having the last word every time, wrote the Afterword.

“Sridevi: The South Years” is available for Pre-Order here.

Another book about Sridevi is coming out: Oh no!

Yes, we heard about yet another Sridevi book coming out. Woefully, its being written by a, to be frank, not a very good writer. An early article by Dhiraj Kumar started with "Madras born Sridevi" - which she wasn't - which just about sets the tone of inaccuracy which I expect his book will be riddled with. He's an ill-informed and not that bright nor a capable writer. 

At least Sathyarth Nayak, whose flawed but fab book Sridevi, The Eternal Screen Goddess, is a legit journalist with experience and ability to research extensively, who did exhaustive leg-work and homework to track down as much information was humanly possible within the parameters of his publishing deadline. 

I’m all for more books and information about Sridevi for the posterity of an icon and her historical significance in Indian cinema – but Sridevi’s legacy needs writers with skill, empathy, critical thought, analytical abilities and verbal dexterity. Not fan fiction in the guise of a biography by a self-proclaimed idiot-savant, who is more idiot than savant.

PS: This post is also worrying; the image of Sridevi in pink is a digitally altered image of the actress. The family image of Sridevi - the copyright belongs to the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksha's estate and Cine Blitz that originally commissioned the shoot with Sridevi and her entire family in Chennai. And for the record, Sridevi did not consider any male writer/reporter family or friend. The Indina media during Sridevi's reign wrote some ghastly, unfounded things about her and she was gunshy of the press and kept them a pole apart - as she famously said on TV, "Picture se dar nahin lagta, publicity se lagta hai."

Chehre by Gautam Rajadhyaksha: Iconic Indian photographer's tribute to the best faces in Bollywood, Mumbai, India

Chehre by Gautam Rajadhyaksha: Iconic Indian photographer's tribute to the best faces in Bollywood, Mumbai, India

The English coffee table book came out in 1997, Faces. Gautam da was just the greatest... 
 

 

Those Eyes: Sridevi

The eyes say so much... 

Exquisite Sridevi 

The Week: Decoding an Engima: The Sridevi bio

 

The Week: Decoding an Engima: The Sridevi bio 

Sridevi

 

Sridevi portrait by Ashok Salian. 

Originally a cover shoot for Cine Blitz back in the early January, 1992. 

Here in the archive you can find all the pics from that shoot and the interview with Sridevi. 

Sridevi on the cover...

 Can't remember if this was a cake or a book... either way, cute Sridevi fan art... 

Sridevi caught by the paparazzi in Crossword in Mumbai

This is (one of) the first ever pictures we posted on the Sridevi fanclub about 20 years ago.

At the time, it looked like Sridevi had no interest in returning to films as she was blissfully enjoying motherhood and being away from the rigmarole of set hopping, costumes and paparazzi.

The papz did find her, casually sifting through books at Mumbai's famed bookshop Crossword. At the time, Sridevi had retired from films - and she looked like a fresh college grad, not an actress who had worked for thirty plus years.

The buzz for Sridevi's return began around then - which is when we created a small fan-club online for Sridevi's fanatics around the world to discuss and distribute news, images, info on the Indian actress. Back then, when she was alive and well (and English Vinglish was way in the distance), we had about 5,000 fans.

Today, two years after her shocking death, we average about 1.9 million views a week. 

Gone but not forgotten. 

Sridevi

Sridevi - excerpts from yet another book! 

Yet another Sridevi book

Yet another Sridevi book out there - we hope to grab a copy too. 

Sridevi book

Anyone know how.when/where we can get the book from?!

Sridevi: The Eternal Goddess book is out! Deepika Padukone and Boney Kapoor launch Sridevi biography

Earlier today, Deepika Padukone launched  Sridevi: The Eternal Goddess, by Satyarth Nayak, at the Times Lit Fest in Delhi. She was joined on stage by late actress' husband Boney Kapoor and director of Sridevi's penultimate film, Gauri Shinde.

1 December 2019 

Impeccably dressed and styled Deepika Padukone wore an ivory Sabyasachi Mukherjee sari in honour of Chandni actress Sridevi. She spoke at length about her long association with the late actress and the warm equation the two shared over the years.

Sridevi book. Coming Soon.

Well, the name changed. Sridevi book coming soon. We will be looking out for it. And critiquing it later.

More Sridevi books!

We saw this image on Instagram - we can't wait to buy it!

The importance of books to remember Sridevi and remind everyone of what a cultural icon, a cinematic legend that she was cannot be emphasized enough. So glad there are more books on, relating to, regarding Sridevi coming out this year and next.

For the record, we will not be doing a book.

This 19.5 year old fan site that we have dedicated 1/4 of our life to is more than enough. In some way or another, all the new books on Sridevi have used resources and information provided by us in their books. We've wanted to be an aggregate, a funnel of all Sridevi related news and images here. This site also helped us meet her a few memorable, life-affirming times. Memories we'll cherish till the end of our time.

Girl. Woman. Superstar: Sridevi

We can't wait to get this book. Sridevi book by super fan Satyarth Nayak. Let's see...
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vidya balan @vidya_balan · 3h

I am honoured and delighted to officially launch the Cover of the Penguin book on the iconic Sridevi on her 56th birthday today. Congratulations to author @SatyarthNayak , dear @BoneyKapoor sir and the @PenguinIndia mavericks @mileeashwarya and @film_worm

Glad there will be more books about Sridevi out there - we just hope they are kind and accurate - more than anything.

Simply Sri: Iconic Indian actress Sridevi pap'd at Crossword: 2010

Sridevi snapped at Mumbai's famed Crossword book shop. What we fans LOVE about this pic is, Sri looks like University student perusing books on campus. So simply attired and yet so stunning.

The second pic is of Sridevi at a party. Beyond gorgeous, as always.