Sridevi's passion project: Photography: The young star captures Rekha, Sunny Deol, Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra and sister Sreelatha!

Note: Grok (AI!) modified image of below paper scan

SRIDEVI'S "VICTIMS" OF A SHOOTING SPREE!

TAKE a beautiful sexy, talented girl like Sridevi. And see what develops! 

This year [1984], Sridevi declared she was fed up of posing for Annual-gatefolds and giving interviews. “Let me do something different,” she proclaimed. “How about turning photographer and clicking my famous colleagues especially for you?” 

Never refuse a good offer. So we gladly gave her the go-ahead. Sridevi tells you how it all began... 

Sridevi, "I used to feel quite bored idling on the sets in between shots and doing nothing. I'm not terribly fond of reading, especially when I'm working since it breaks my concentration. Photography always fascinated me. So one day I just picked up a camera and went click-click-click! To start with, I had more out of focus and distorted frames than clear pictures. But I learnt through trial and error. I took longer learning because I shoot only in natural light and don't use the flash. Now I'm quite an expert at my job though I want to buy a more professional camera than the 'Ricoh' I'm using presently...." 

REKHA AT HER GLAMOROUS BEST Gorgeous, stunning, wow! Read all about the only long-lasting friendship in Rekha's life which has resulted in those mind blowing photographs the actress is famous for. Plus, exclusive pix in colour. 

Rekha's Monkey Business

Both Latha [Sridevi's sister Sreelatha] and Rekha rag me to death about my passion for photography. Rekha is a good friend of the family and a better photographer than me. When Rekha is around we are never serious about anything we do. She is always monkeying around, keeping us in splits! I had to nearly beg and plead with her to stop playing the fool and give me some sane pictures. 

Rekha looks lovely whichever angle you click her from. She has also clicked some very flattering photographs of mine but won't part with them especially to the press. I took her permission before I gave 'Star & Style' the pictures because I know how sensitive she is. Rekha was quite sporting and encouraging. 

Shekhar's All Sugar 'n' Spice

There he is, sprawled (so he says) against the harsh Ladakh background. Shekhar is my favourite director, a close friend and of course, one of my favourite targets too! 

Joker Jeetendra 

Talking of monkeying around, Jeetendra just won't take my efforts at photography seriously. The moment he spots me focusing on him, he either makes faces or does somersaults. I have some really crazy pictures of his but they are all in Bombay and I can't seem to trace them. Most of them are out of focus though, because he doesn't cooperate...

Sunny Rises To The Occasion   

Sunny Deol, though only a colleague and not a friend, is very, very co-operative. He doesn't get self conscious and is quite oblivious to my camera. I think these are my best candid shots... all of which were shot in Ladakh. [During the making of Joshilaay]. 

Rajesh's Photographic Expression

The most clever of the lot is my costar Rajesh Khanna. The moment he finds me focusing my camera, he becomes alert and tries to look natural, as he poses away quite happily. In this particular stint, he gave me all three shots in a matter of one minute. . .   

Li'l Sister Latha   

My sister Latha is my favourite model though she complains she is my most distorted victim! I try out all kinds of lighting on her and even Latha admits that some of her most complimentary pictures have been clicked by me. . .

 

A hobby Sridevi shared with Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan

Like Lata Mangeshkar, Salman Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan, for a while, Sridevi picked up the hobby of taking photographs as a passion project. And she got them published! She took a series of pics of gorgeous Rekha in the mid 1980s and those were published in film magazines. 

Salman Khan famously took the initial pics of Hrithik Roshan, which were published in Stardust magazine. The great, legendary Lata Mangeshkar took innumerable pics of her family and when she went on global tours, she was often seen out and about with her latest camera. Amitabh Bachchan's hobby of collecting watches and cars have been written about, but he remains keen on gadgets galore! The Bachchan family has often stated that he's also the in-house photographer, recording their private gatherings, kids and grandkids.  

Rare photos by... Sridevi! Did you know she loved to click pictures too?

Sunny Deol, Jeetendra, Rekha, her sister Sreelatha... all photographed by Sridevi herself. 

Looking for a better scan of this rare, vintage spread. Sridevi was into photography in the early years and took these snaps. 

She said back then Rekha was the most beautiful to capture on film.