Stardust September 1984: Filmland's biggest turn-on! Why the men can't keep their hands off Sridevi!

Stardust, Sept 1984!

Stardust in the mid 80s was pure tabloid gossip, full of innuendo and, as my septuagenarian aunt used to say, "just filth!" 

Excerpt:

FILMLAND’S BIGGEST TURN-ON! JPG WHY THE MEN CAN’T KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF HER! JPG SRIDEVI 

She hit the city, and how! Arms akimbo, staring a challenge down (at the women?) from the lurid posters of ‘Himmatwala’. With chubby thighs squeezed into a mini skirt and a bosom bursting at the seams, she sure left most of the men shell-shocked and drooling. 

‘Himmatwala’ was the first of Sridevi’s films to zoom way up the box-office charts. Along the path to stardom, in ‘Tohfa’, ‘Mawaali’, ‘Jaag Utha Insan’, ‘Maqsad’, and now, ‘Qaidi’, she has shed her inhibitions (if any), and a few pieces of irrelevant clothing. The result is that with a mere shake of a shapely derriere, she’s nudged out Jaya Prada and Rekha from the No. 1 position, on the oomph-list at least. Sridevi literally has the Bombay film industry wound round her voluptuous little finger. 

I was maha intrigued. The gauche girl with a squashy nose in ‘Solva Sawan’ (she was definitely material then for a Sheri Louise ‘before’ ad) was no candidate for superstardom, I’d thought. Her attempt at storming the Bombay film industry bombed—the film was a flop..."

Filmfare: Unquestionably No: 1 Sridevi Reaches the Top: July 1984 :

 

UNQUESTIONABLY No. 1 

Every five years or so, an elaborate ritual takes place in Hindi moviedom. The reigning glamour queen abdicates her title in favour of a younger tinsel goddess. Such a transition took place recently. When Rekha was replaced by another actress from the South - Sridevi. 

The sensuous bombshell has grabbed the limelight. 

Profiled by Nikhil Lakshman. 

SRIDEVI," says Rekha, "is number one. Give her six months more and she will redefine the rules of the industry." The erstwhile glamour queen is not the only one. From movie moguls to top screenplay writers, from directors to superstars, the view is unanimous. A Greek chorus. In less than eighteen months, this captivating gamine from NTR territory has clearly demonstrated her unbelievable box-office potential. 

And the price is Rs. 12 lakhs. No actress has ever shot up so swiftly. It took Hema Malini nearly four years to make the ascent. Rekha even with Mr B's help took an identical period. And neither faced the cut-throat competition that Sridevi faces. 

Today, there are so many actresses in the race: Rati Agnihotri, Jaya Prada, Padmini Kolhapure, Dimple Kapadia, Meenakshi Seshadri, Moon Moon Sen. So what makes Sridevi run? And number one? 

The present power and glory is a far cry from the humiliation five years ago, when "Solva Sawan" was released. Though it was a good re-make of that fine Tamil film "16 Vayathinile", the movie flopped. As for Sridevi, despite a... 

...tantalising show of thigh- immortalised in that enchanting freeze when she wades across a river - and an on-par performance, the film's failure instantly banished her from the Hindi movie scene. 

At about the same time, another actress from Andhra Pradesh was delighting audiences with her performance in "Sargam". Ironically, that superhit had little impact then on Jaya Prada's career which, thanks to her refusal to learn Hindi and badly-conceived projects like "Lok Parlok" and "Biwi", went into limbo. 

Meanwhile, deeply hurt at the "Solva Sawan" episode, Sridevi worked hard at her craft in Hyderabad and Madras. As a child actress she had her debut at 4. As an adult she zoomed to the top in the South. She could hold her own both in corny song 'n dance extravaganzas like "Bubbulipuli" and "Premabhishekam" as well as serious well-made films like Balu Mahendra's "Moondram Pirai". 

A. Raghavendra Rao, the Telugu Croesus who is widely given credit for 'creating' Sridevi, recalls the sensation that Bobbili Puli was: "Whenever NTR - you must remember she was 16 and he was nearing 60- and Sridevi came together on screen, a strange electricity passed through the audience. And they began to show their appreciation by throwing coins, clapping enthusiastically. No Telugu film has had such a response. 

Then, in late 1980, Padmalaya Films, controlled by the Telugu actor Krishna, approached her with a proposal. They were going to make a Hindi film and would she be interested in acting in it? Sridevi wasn't too sure. Nor were her parents who vet every script, pass judgement on the role she is to accept. More out of loyalty to that banner and mentor Raghavendra Rao, she agreed. And thus, “Himmatwala” was born. 

On the sets, Sridevi discovered that her eyes-always-on-the-box-office co-star Jeetendra had vociferously approved her selection. However, financiers and distributors were not so enthusiastic. Raghavendra Rao recalls the long hours spent in convincing them that Sridevi was the right choice. One important factor in their favour was distributor Ramesh Sippy's support. Sippy, Jeetendra's brother-in-law, is known as a shrewd businessman. He decided to hard-sell Sridevi. Huge hoardings of her appeared overnight in Bombay. “This is Sridevi,” they proclaimed, “Watch out for her in ‘Himmatwala'”. 

The intention was obviously to re-introduce her to Hindi audiences and it worked. “Himmatwala” is a garish, inane exercise on celluloid. But, somehow it clicked. 

In the age of video, it earned over one crore, making it one of the biggest block-busters last year. With oomph oozing from every pore, the actress was an instant hit. 

In the meantime, producer Ramesh Sippy had struck a deal with director Balu Mahendra to re-make “Moondram Pirai”. “Himmatwala” had not yet been released, so Sippy was lukewarm about having Sridevi in “Sadma”. Dimple was his first choice. But when the other Sippy - G. P. and son Ramesh—grabbed her for “Saagar”, Sridevi was signed for “Sadma”. 

The film remains one of the high points of 1983, an otherwise dull year of movie-making. Neither Silk Smitha's lascivious gesticulations nor Kamal Haasan's fine performance could match Sridevi's pyrotechnics in “Sadma”. As for her acting the transformation from city slicker to infantilism and back was effortless. 

Unfortunately, “Sadma” flopped. And Sridevi was back to making movies like “Maqsad” and “Tohfa”.

Sridevi had to jettison her 'respectable' image down South, grabbing skimpy outfits and going into postures straight out of Vatsayana (one Southern director shudders recollecting those seducing scenes in 'Inquilaab').   

Today, after a year of shuttling between Madras and Bombay, Sridevi is entrenched in Hindi films. Not even flops like "Kalakaar" or damp squids like "Inquilaab" have erased that reputation. Of course, she was fortunate in making a comeback just when there was room at the top. 

Hema Malini was no longer in the very young brigade. Rekha was more busy with her mind-and-body affair. And none of the younger actresses like Rati Agnihotri or Padmini Kolhapure had really managed to bulldoze the audience. Sridevi had to jettison her 'respectable' image down South, grabbing skimpy outfits and going into postures straight out of Vatsayana (one Southern director shudders recollecting those ugh! seducing scenes in "Inquilaab"). 

It might not have earned her a place in the critics' note-books, but it delighted audiences. 

Sex is emblazoned on her every gesture.   Sridevi has had her share of "Justice Choudhury", "Mawaali", "Tohfa", "Akalmand", "Maqsad". Routine re-makes have been transformed into record-breakers by her sheer presence. 

"Else why should films without a semblance of a story-line and with Jeetendra co-starring be such big hits? I tell you people want to see Sridevi, not anyone else," says one movie-maker.   Apparently, her parents make all the decisions for Sridevi. It is a well-oiled, carefully-constructed exercise. According to some sources, Sridevi rarely compromises where the price and her roles are concerned. The rule of thumb is simple: Market price and roles that play her up considerably. 

"Though she maintains excellent public relations, Sridevi is perfectly capable of saying no even to producers who have funded her height up," says one Southern source.   Unlike many local actresses, Sridevi is an absolute professional. No tantrums. No late-coming. No truancy because of mishaps in love. She is on the sets well ahead of time and raring to go. 

"She does not disobey the director  ever," says Raghavendra Rao, "in fact you can mould her whatever way you want".   

In fact, that is exactly what worries Sridevi watchers. The success of movies like "Tohfa" and "Himmatwala" have forced her into an erotic slot that confines her to lewd dances and little else; just forget acting. 

Now that she is on the top of the world, surely she can select her roles more carefully. They say, Rekha rushes to her defence. She says, "Sure, these films are crap. But don't forget they run. And that is very important. If you want to do something in the future, something lasting, you must be prepared to work with junk in the early years. We all did."   

Most of the films Sridevi has on hand are the typical Madras masala movies. One reason for this nonchalance towards performances could be that both films in which she had concentrated on histrionics - "Solva Sawan" and "Sadma" - flopped. So she openly states her determination to woo commercial success. 

"If these films run, why not?"   

How long will the Sridevi phenomenon go on? One movie pundit insists that Sridevi is just a stop-gap number one. The moment a more viable alternative comes along, she will be forced to return to Madras. 

Echoing a similar viewpoint another trade source says: "With video around, you have to continuously come up with newer things all the time if your film has to run. Though she has an extremely mobile face and is a good actress, people will tire of her and want something new. 

Yet Amitabh Bachchan places his bet on Sridevi. He is believed to have said that no actress - not Jaya Prada nor any of the others - can touch Sridevi "for the next five years".   

Of course, there are a bevy of heroines all dying to have a shot at Sridevi's title: Jaya Prada, of course, was running neck-to-neck till early this year and has old scores to settle with her Telugu compatriot. Rati Agnihotri has the largest number of films on hand. Mahesh Bhatt is backing Padmini Kolhapure. Meenakshi Seshadri has some good films ahead. And there are those dark horses - Dimple and Moon Moon Sen. Moon Moon could be the actress giving Sridevi nightmares.   

The last word on the subject comes from Rekha: "Of all the other actresses, Jaya Prada is being promoted as Sridevi's only rival. Sure she is terrific-looking, but can she act? What wouldn't I do for a face like Sridevi's! Why call me a sex symbol? My God, that girl is miles ahead of me!"   

-- FILMFARE JULY 16—31, 1984 

Star & Style: Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla and Sridevi: March 1993

By 1993, after a spate of box-office flops and average films, the media was dying to crown another screen queen.. .the names shuffled between Juhi Chawla and Madhuri Dixit. Sridevi stated she didn't consider the numbers game seriously and neither did Madhuri Dixit. Juhi Chawla with her chirpy comedies and musicals wasn't a real threat - until 1993 when she was fielding a hit after hit. 

Of her 9 releases that year, Juhi Chawla delivered the goods with 4 massive successes [Darr, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, Aaina, Lootere] and an award-winning turn in Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke. Even MOVIE magazine, firmly on team Madhuri, declared her the Number One in their annual opinion poll edition, Star & Style, Stardust and Filmfare ran similar features. At the end its showbusiness - and Juhi's movies were just doing great business. 

Star & Style ran for years on Sridevi's coattails - covering her every move and movie - so this editorial - where Sridevi did not give any quotes or interview - was a soft nudge to the erstwhile Queen that a new wave was taking over Hindi cinema.  

Excerpt 

“It’s very difficult to know Sridevi,” states choreographer Chinni Prakash who has worked with the actress in three or four films. “It takes a lot of time to pierce through the tough, aloof veneer that she has about her on the sets.”

It’s not only Chinni who feels this way about Sridevi. Almost every person who’s got anywhere near her, says the same. Sridevi’s hairdresser, Rashida, who’s been with the actress since three years, sings no different tune about her madam. “She doesn’t mix around much with anybody,” explains Rashida. “She talks only as much as required. Even if it’s a problem with the fitting of her dress, she tells us to inform the dress-man to handle the problem. She says softly but very firmly, that he should know that such problems should not crop up. There is never a trace of irritability on her face, when she says it. Yet her words are not meant to be taken lightly.” Sridevi’s total control over her emotions when in public is a result of being in the film industry for far too long - since the age of six. “Sridevi has seen so much of cinema life, and witnessed so much of unpleasantness that she’s conditioned herself to block herself totally from anything other than her performance and career. Perhaps, she’s afraid that people will take her for granted,” reasons Chinni.

Hardly surprising then, that the actress feels no attachment for anyone in the industry. According to ace glamour photographer, Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who has had the privilege to turn on his lens eye on the star, Sridevi is so totally apart and distant from the film folk that she once revealed to him quite candidly, “I have learnt nothing from the industry.” Her success, her achievement in the South and particularly in Hindi cinema has been totally of her own making. “Sri is an incredibly hard-working girl,” praises Gautam. It’s a known fact that when she came to Bombay, chasing ambitious dreams of becoming the reigning star, she was totally at a disadvantage. Hindi was an alien language and she was better known for her thunder thighs than for her acting talent. But her single-minded dedication and pursuit of her goal, established her as the most successful actress. “Sridevi worked hard on her language and within no time she started dubbing for her own films,” exclaims make-up maestro Mickey Contractor who has a fairly good rapport with the actress.

In fact, professionalism has always been Sridevi’s hallmark. Come rain, hail or storm, the actress is there on the sets at the given time. “Sridevi had once hurt herself badly on the sets of K.C. Bokadia’s ‘Main Tera Dushman’,” recollects her ex-secretary Hari Singh. “An eight inch glass had pierced her thigh. She was hospitalised, her wound was stitched and she was prescribed complete rest for two months. However, when ‘Farishtay’s Sattie Shourie begged and pleaded her not to cancel the Kashmir outdoor because the weather would change later, Sridevi went for the schedule. And, sure enough, her condition worsened. When she returned to Madras, burning with fever, she found that the thigh injury had got septic and was oozing with puss. But, that’s how she is. Totally dedicated.”

So much so that for the sake of a challenging role, Sridevi is ever willing to go to any lengths to get into the skin of it. Sometimes literally. According to Mickey Contractor, Sridevi’s Chinese look for a song sequence in ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ was not an easy task. “Sridevi’s eyes had to be stretched for days from the sides with scotch tape, to get that chinky look,” revealed Mickey in admiration. “But not once did she complain about the arduous task of going through this exercise for days. In fact I felt terribly bad for her when I saw that the skin near her eyes was getting bruised. Though Sridevi would be edgy and restless those days, not once did she wince in pain or give me the idea that she was suffering.”

Mickey, however, recalls one incident when the actress uncharacteristically turned up late one morning on the sets of ‘RKRCKR’. “As usual, I went up to her make-up room to find it locked. After a long wait Sri arrived, got into the make-up room and immediately began to get ready for the song-dance continuation. Seeing me visibly bugged, she came to me and said, ‘I know I am late. Do you want to know why?’ She then rolled up her dress to show me her terribly swollen up knees. The previous day she’d done a strenuous song-dance which required her to use her knees. ‘I had to take a painkilling injection to get out of bed this morning, otherwise I would not have been able to make it today,’ she said simply. That’s when I realised that the actress is truly dedicated to her job. But not once did she make a show of it or try to get sympathy on the sets that day.”

Though extremely conscious of what she says and does when she’s in company, the actress does succumb to human frailties now and then. “Sridevi is always calm and controlled, but at times she loses her cool too,” observes Mickey. “Like, when she’s doing her make-up and if her assistant does not hand her the correct material, she snaps and says irritably, ‘You should know by now what I want, not wait for me to ask for it.’ But, then, I guess, nobody is born perfect. We all have shades of grey in our personality.”

And Sridevi has them too. The very fact that the actress survived through her struggling days to reach the peak of success, was proof enough that she was no dim-witted bimbo. After her flop debut in ‘Solwa Saawan’ and ‘Sadma’, an undaunted Sridevi was smart enough to relaunch herself with the then box-office boss, Jeetendra, in ‘Himmatwala’. Its roaring success with the masses encouraged her to consolidate her position with many more South quickies with Jeetendra. However, the minute other top heroes who had become aware of her talent and box-office draw, showed willing keenness to work with her, Sridevi was professional and ambitious enough to ease up on further offers with Jeetendra. In fact, even during Jeetu’s lean spell in recent times, Sridevi consistently refused to pair up with him which had hurt the actor no end.

“The fact is that Jeetendra and Sridevi couldn’t go on doing films only with each other forever,” reasons Shobha, Jeetendra’s wife. “Their pair had become stale at the box-office and it was no longer an economically viable proposition to continue working with each other. But that doesn’t mean that it has affected their personal relationship. We are yet friendly with her. In fact, Sridevi participated in the show we had in USA. And there I got to know her really well.

“She’s one actress who never demanded to be treated like a star. Especially on our internal flights in the States, there were only a handful of first class seats. But she always offered them to Jeetu and me first. Even when she got a seat for herself she would either give it to her mother or sister, saying she didn’t mind sitting in the economy class. I really admired her consideration for others.”

Shobha explains that during the Jeetendra and Sridevi South phase after the hit ‘Himmatwala’, she didn’t really get to know the actress too well in those days. “In fact, my daughter, Ektaa, who was only eight years old and a great fan of hers, got along better with her! She used to literally cling to Sridevi, always be with her in her make-up room when we visited Jeetu every weekend.” Sridevi too, was very fond of Ektaa and brother Tushar, and whenever she was in Bombay, she always made it a point to drop in at their house, specially on occasions like their birthdays.

Something the actress rarely or almost never did with anybody else. In recent times, Sridevi projected such closeness only with Boney Kapoor when she shifted lock, stock and barrel into his house, after her father’s death. At an emotional ebb and totally vulnerable, Sridevi was grateful to find a supportive friend in Boney. However, when speculation of an affair between the two reared its ugly head, Sridevi got herself together and promptly moved out into a hotel. She didn’t want either her professional career or personal dignity to be tainted by such rumours. She had worked too hard to keep both her lives intact. And nothing was going to mar either of them. After all, hadn’t Sridevi been made to suffer the onslaught of ugly publicity after her disastrous break-up with Mithun Chakraborthy in the past? In fact, it was after this bitter-sweet phase that Sridevi withdrew herself totally from the industrywallahs. Until then, the actress had, at least, been making efforts to befriend her colleagues. Like Rekha, for instance. In fact, Rekha and Sridevi frequently double-dated with their respective lovers, Amitabh and Mithun. But it ended when they fell out with their men. The personal friendship between the two women went kaput too.

It’s then, that Sridevi’s obsession for privacy began to surface. And she withdrew totally into her shell after her father’s death. It was a rare occasion when Sridevi let her defences down. At such times, it was her wacky sense of humour that showed itself inevitably. “Oh, Sridevi has a terrific sense of humour,” agrees Mickey. “But she almost never displays it on the sets. Once I was quietly smiling to myself over a funny event on the sets when Sridevi caught my eye, turned to where I was looking, and then had a quiet laugh herself too. I realised that she too had caught on on to the situation. Believe me, she’s nobody’s fool, as she’d love people to believe. She’s very smart, observant and quick on the uptake.”

According to choreographer Saroj Khan, who was totally fascinated with the actress when she first saw her in ‘Himmatwala’, and then worked with her to give her many a memorable song-and-dance numbers, Sridevi is great fun when she’s unguarded, which is only in the security of her family at home in Madras. “Two years ago Sri had invited me with six of my dancer boys to her house at Madras to celebrate New Year’s Eve,” reminisces the dancer fondly. “While I stayed at her bungalow, the boys were put up at a hotel. While playing dandiya that night, some of the boys got lightly bruised by Sri. So, we played a prank on Sri the next day. All six of them came over to her house with bandaged

limbs. Naturally, Sri and her parents were shocked to know how it had happened. But Sri understood from a faint smile on my lips that the boys were just pulling a fast one. Later, when Sri grandly led us to the dining table for lunch, and when we opened the covered dishes, we found paper, stones and straws in all of them! Seeing our stunned faces, Sri and her father burst out laughing and she said, ‘If you guys can pretend to be hurt, why can’t I serve you such food?’ And we all burst out laughing. So, Sri is very friendly and funny. But she’s never like that when she’s in the midst of work on the sets.”

Sridevi is a picture of toughness on the sets. “But actually she’s vulnerable and very sensitive,” reveals Mickey. “Like, once, while doing her face, I casually commented on another actress’ striking features. Apparently, she misunderstood it. She told someone else that I found her features rather imperfect. She thought that I had implied it, though that was not at all what I had meant. That’s when I realised that Sri’s very sensitive and vulnerable. What people say about her leaves a lasting impact on her.”

In fact, the South Indian actress devours very written word on herself. “Madam reads every magazine,” reveals her hairdresser, Rashida. “And she reads every article on her very thoroughly. But we have never seen her react to anything — good, bad or otherwise.” However, if she happens to like her pictures that are published she reacts very positively. “Sri is very spontaneous in that respect,” says Gautam. “She does not think twice before calling me up and telling me in her characteristic Madrasi accent, ‘Oh, I l-o-u-ed the picture.’ Why, once when we happened to meet by chance in Bombay, she told me very honestly that she had forgotten to call me about one of her pictures she liked very much! That’s what I appreciate about her. She’s very spontaneous and genuine in her admiration, unlike some others who perhaps do it as a matter of protocol because it will reflect well on them if they called me up specially to thank me. No, Sri’s not like that. She means what she says.”

A fact seconded by Saroj Khan. Saroj is amongst the few industry persons who has been on the receiving side of Sri’s generosities. “Sri has been very nice to me in all the years of our association. She gifted me a gold necklace, earrings and a ring of New Year’s Eve two years ago. If Sridevi cares for someone, it’s genuine. And then she’s very generous and warm. I will never forget the time we had gone to America for a show and the organisers did not pay me my dues. So, when Sri and I went out shopping (that’s one of her favourite pastimes), she noticed that I was not buying anything. When I told her why, she promptly asked her mother to give me three hundred dollars. She’s the kind who’s extremely helpful in times of need.”

Today, Saroj Khan genuinely regrets the fact that the warmth they once shared is lacking in their relationship. “However, we do greet each other cordially, whenever we meet,” says Saroj sadly. She feels their relationship soured because of the rumours that circulated about her apparent bias against Sridevi for her strongest contender, Madhuri Dixit. However, Saroj hopes to clear the misunderstanding soon. “I would definitely like to make up with Sridevi,” she says emotionally.

But the fact remains that though Sridevi may go blue in her face denying her discomfort at Madhuri’s zooming up to the number one slot, the South Indian actress is perturbed by her rival’s success. In fact, she is so conscious of the competition in the industry that she makes it a point to see every Hindi film to keep herself updated on that front. “Sridevi watches a film each night. At times the actress tries to catch as many films as she can in her luxurious van to and from the studio, back to the hotel,” reveals Rashida, the star’s hairdresser.

However, at the end of it all, the actress knows in her heart of hearts that success is the flip side of failure and like everything else, it adheres to Newton’s law of motion that what goes up, must come down. And that’s when life will look squarely at her, demanding it’s pound of flesh. But Sridevi’s too smart for that. By then she will have settled securely in the cocoon of marriage, to a guy chosen only by her mother and no longer to a guy of her own choice. After all, the one thing that everyone knows is that Sridevi learns from her mistakes!

— KANAN DIVECHA

Sridevi's first film with Sanjay Dutt wasn't Gumrah or Khuda Gawah: It was this 1984 flick + 10 Shelved Films of Sridevi!

Its almost comical how many films are launched in Bollywood that fail to take off beyond announcement and hype. Here's another one to add to the long, long list; Yeh Kaisa Milan! 

A never-made/unreleased Bollywood film from the mid-1980s (announced around 1983–84, with a planned release in January 1984 according to the poster!). 

With Producer: S.R. Productions (Madras), under the banner Godha, the main cast was supposed to have Sridevi, Sunil Dutt's son Sanjay Dutt and Raj Kapoor's youngest song Rajeev Kapoor! With director/screenplay writer S.A. Chandrashekhar, the film had maestros Laxmikant–Pyarelal for music, (common for many Sridevi films of that era). Thankfully... the movie was never made. S.A. Chandrashekhar might have made many successful Tamil films, but his Hindi films have all been pretty much awful; Jeevan Ki Shatranj (1993) - a remake of the Tamil film Rajanadai and Azaad Desh Ke Gulam (1993) - a remake of the Tamil film Sudhanthira Naattin Adimaigal come to mind!). 

The Hindi film was promoted as a big multi-starrer with "Star Pairing of the Year" hype. This was during Sridevi's peak commercial phase in Hindi cinema (post-Himmatwala, Tohfa, Mawaali, etc.), when she was frequently paired with top heroes - so these relative newcomers (and OG nepo babies!) seems like a surprise. The film was ultimately shelved and never completed or released - we don't know exactly what went down, hence it doesn't appear in standard filmographies, IMDb lists, or Wikipedia entries for Sridevi, Sanjay Dutt, or Rajeev Kapoor. There are several false-start or failed to finish movies in Sridevi's archive (in all Indian celebrities' in fact). 

Old posters and announcements like this one occasionally surface on Instagram/Facebook fan pages (especially Sridevi tribute accounts), but there's no finished movie, songs, or features on many. There's a lot written about Garajna, Zameen, Sridevi's Telugu home production... and so on but on this film, we've found very little. 

Sridevi and Sanjay Dutt actually did collaborate later (their only film together was the 1993 Mahesh Bhatt-directed, Yash Johar produced Gumrah, and a brief shoot during Khuda Gawah), but this earlier project fell through.  

If you're a Sridevi fan, these "lost" posters are fun collector items from the era when she was dominating the industry with multiple releases per year. The hodge podge poster with cut outs from other films (I mean look at the image of Sanjay Dutt, and the Sridevi pic from her Tamil film Adutha Varisu, and Rajeev from another movie as well - the trio didn't even do a shoot together!). 

Sridevi in the film Zameen

Sridevi's list of shelved films;

1. Garajna
2. Teerandaz
3. Bodyguard
4. Zameen
5. Raasta
6. Maharaja
7. Ram ki Sita, Shyam ki Geeta
8. Bus Conductor 
9. Govinda
10. Khabardaar

The Drama behind Damini: Did you know Sridevi was going to do the Telugu version?

Sridevi, she of infinite-talent and artistry, also had the mind of an executive producer. Happy with the results of Gumrah, there were plans to make it in Telugu, but it didn't materialise. But that certainly wasn't Sridevi's first attempt at producing a movie - even before that, Sridevi loved the script of Damini and wanted to make it in her mothertongue. But things didn't work out for... innumerable reasons. 

Many know of Damini's complicated history, but here's a reminder. A rock-solid script and movie, the film originally featured Meenakshi Seshadri who sank her teeth into the role. So mesmerised by his leading lady, the film's writer/director Rajkumar Santoshi proposed to the actress--according to the grapevine--and she, shocked, declined. 

The bruised ego, Santoshi ousted her out of the film and sent the script to several leading ladies, perhaps most notably to Madhuri Dixit. Rumours were, even Sridevi, Raveena Tandon and Juhi Chawla were approached, but none of the ladies ever spoke of it. Knowing the circumstances, Madhuri Dixit refused to sign the dotted line, knowing Meenakshi deserved better. The two had worked in two films in the past and Dixit had only fond memories of her senior co-star. Unethical to do a film that was meant for another lady, Madhuri Dixit graciously and gracefully refused to work with Santoshi at the time--despite the role being what it was. When the dust settled and some time had passed, the project took off again with the intended cast of Meenakshi Seshadri, Rishi Kapoor and a memorable scene-stealing (albeit loud!) Sunny Deol. 

Damini was a good film and Meenakshi deserved more accolades and trophies for it. A year after the release, despite great reviews and decent box-office, she however lost out the Best Actress Filmfare to Juhi Chawla (for the fun and frothy Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke) and it was 'the' talk of the town. The jury was split on who to favour, but the tides had turned. Award shows were no long a meritocracy but enslaved to TRPs and star-wattage for viewership/ad revenue. Juhi was the bigger star, younger, and had a line-up of top films in the early 1990s, while, truth be told, Meenakshi's stardom was fading and her glory-days of the 80s (when she was working with Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai) had considerably dimmed. Film magazines called her box-office poison for her hits were few and far between, and they called her ice-maiden and... well, among other uncharitable refrains. Film journalism in Bombay (pre-MumbaI) was a hellscape of gossip, innuendo, name-calling and blatant lies. Remember when they stated that a top actor had AIDS? Or implied two leading men were in a covert relationship? Or every star was having an affair with every other?! The erudite Meenakshi didn't take any flak and spoke out against yellow journalism. After the career-defining lightning role and then loss at the award show, she slowly but surely eased out of movies and chose marriage, motherhood and NRI status instead. 

Nearly 29 years after her last film release (Ghatak in 1996 BTW for those keeping track!). now the actress has been sending out smoke signals to make a comeback of sorts, doing innumerable interviews, reliving the past and reminding others she's around and open to work. Well, at 61, ageist, sexist film industry hasn't extended a welcoming hand, but of course played lip service to her time and tenure in Bollywood. We are all suckers for nostalgia aren't we?! None of her co-stars are in any position to cast her and her former producers have either passed away or passed the baton forward to next gen--who do not have the same fandom for her erstwhile performances. Television and OTT has provided employment to many a star of varying vintage but, so far, apart from the occasional appearance on reality TV judging show, the former Miss India, classical dancer and actor remains twiddling her thumbs. Waiting. 
 

Sridevi in print magazine: Madhuri Dixit always near by

Sridevi in print magazine: Madhuri Dixit always near by! The symbiotic relationship in print - of the two biggest stars of their time. 

The pull quotes are interesting; "I sometimes laugh at myself when I watch my old films..." Sridevi. 

"I have just stopped expressing my inner feelings," Madhuri Dixit. 

 

How Sridevi and Amitabh Bachchan lost the award for Khuda Gawah

Excerpt:

"...In an earlier interview, producer Manoj Desai told me, almost casually, about the time when his film Khuda Gawah bagged seven Filmfare awards. “It should have won nine. But I could not purchase the other two awards. Someone highly placed in Filmfare told me that Amitabh and Sridevi would get the awards if some pending bills in the Centaur Hotel could be taken care of.” 

After this story was published in Outlook, there was no reaction at all. Not a single call, not a single letter from any reader. Nobody cared, or everybody except the reporter knew it already. It was a flop story. 

From Open Magazine: The Power of Nonsense.

Sridevi gossip from the 1980s!

Random tidbit about Sridevi from the early days. 

 

"I'm not Sridevi... I'm Radha": A Headline that irked Sridevi's family

In the mid to late 1980s, when Sridevi found herself too busy to work with Jeetendra (and eventually too expensive), film producers were on the immediate hunt for a Sridevi-like replacement. It often came in the form of Jaya Prada, Bhanupriya, then Radha. 

Any Telugu or Tamil South Indian actress who could act, dance and be glamorous on screen was  immediately given a role opposite Jeetendra/Mithun/Rishi Kapoor. Unfortunately, luck and box-office didn't favour the Sridevi-lites. Radha barely created a ripple in Hindi films, Bhanupriya found immense success in the South, and Jaya Prada, well, she was never a contender for the top spot despite being talented, beautiful. As Sridevi once said, luck had to favour the star. There are innumerable talented actors of note, left languishing as box-office success eluded them.  

The introduction of Radha to Bollywood media came with this rather unnecessary albeit conspicuous headline, "I'm not Sridevi, I'm Radha!"  Comparison was folly, it served no one well. Funny thing is Sridevi and Radha even worked in a film together, but they were colleagues, not close friends. With the media fanning the flames of rivalry between any and every other actress, there were paper wars between every leading lady. With perhaps little truth and all insinuation.  

Excerpt:

Launched by Padmalaya Pictures, Radha was almost promoted as a successor to Sridevi. However Kaamyab did not work the wonders that Himmatwala did for Sridevi. Her shapely legs failed to produce the thunder of Sridevi's chubby thighs. 

But though her first attempt in Hindi films was not encouraging, Radha is a much sought after actress in the South, with roles opposite heroes like Sivaji Ganesan, N.T.Rama Rao, Rajnikant, Kamal Haasan and Chiranjeevi. She has even overtaken her sister Ambika who has been around far longer. 

But this glamorous 18-year-old was not born this way. Nor was she born as Radha. The metamorphosis from simple Udayachandrika to the snazzy Radha took place when she was in the ninth standard in school. Bharati Raja cast her opposite Karthik in Alaigal Oivathillai--and it was success from the word go. The film was a blockbuster, but in the bargain Udayachadnrika had to forego her name. Bharati Raja superstitiously believe that R was a lucky letter for his heroines (Radhika, Rati etc). and re-christened her Radha. 

His hunch proved correct. Within a span of hardly five years Radha has acted in 51 films. Another 13 are in the making. 

But despite her success she remains basically the schoolgirlish Udayachandrika. Escorted always by her nother, Radha's behaviour remains that of a child. Forcing me to put away the tape-recorder she preferred to chat rather than be interviewed formally. Her chatter was frequently interspersed with giggles, loud outbursts of laughter and excited clapping of hands. At the same time the adroitness with which she steered clear of controversies indicated an underlying maturity...

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G magazine: Sridevi's quest for happiness: TBT Sept 1996

Sridevi's quest for happiness: TBT Sept 1996. 

Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Raveena Tandon on the cover of g. 

TBT: Sridevi in a serial on TV? July 1985, Showtime

What will lure stars to TV?
Showtime, July 1985

Sridevi

"Truly, I haven't given much thought to working in serials. I do watch TV in Madras, but whenever I'm in Bombay, there's no chance as I rush from one place to another to shoot in multiple shifts. Programmes like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi are relayed in Madras, and whenever there's the opportunity I watch them. I really like Yeh Jo Hai... it's so naughty and humourous! In fact, I'd met Swaroop Sampat sometime back and told her about how she's become such a big star by working in this serial and in such a short time she's a known face throughout the country! TV offers this advantage of viewing stars in the comfort of your home, you don't have to queue up at the box-office for tickets to see us! 

Swaroop Sampat in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi

If I weren't faced with the problem of not having any dates to spare until the end of 1988, I would consider working on television,. At the moment my routine is getting up early in the morning, going to a studio to shoot for one film in the 9am shift and rushing to another place at 4 or 5pm to shoot for another until late in the evening." 

 

Sridevi starred in Guru. Twice.

Sridevi appeared in the Tamil film Guru (1980) and the Hindi film Guru (1989). 

But here's a name that comes up on IMDB a lot! 

Since then, there's the Malayalam film Guru (1997), the English film The Guru (2002), Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in Guru (2007), the Telugu film Guru (2017)... 

So when you're searching, have to be really specific! BTW the best of the lot is obviously the Mani Ratnam film. 

Love Sri, but the Tamil film is awful and the Hindi one is slightly cringe (despite it being a huge blockbuster!). 

Guru in Malayalam, English, Hindi and Telugu - and all as different as can be despite the same title!

Sridevi in Tinsel Town

 Sridevi in a feature/spread in Tinsel Town 

TBT: Films: The Sridevi Syndrome: The persona of today's most popular star

The Sridevi Syndrome

L.Narayanan analyses the persona of today's most popular star. 

In one scene, she is the quintessential Indian housewife, draped from head to toe in a zari-laden saree, flowers in her hair, playing the coy, homely woman. But before you can say Sridevi, she appears in revealing clothes with a bizarre touch and gyrates to crude lyrics which leave little to the imagination.

Truly, Sridevi is the most intriguing thing that happened to the Indian screen in recent times. Her gyrating tactics have earned her the most uncomplimentary remarks from middle-class critics, even as her box-office rating has continued to zoom upwards. And remember, she is a heroine, who is seen doing all the things that prim and proper heroines are supposed to do: loving her husband, yearning for the pleasures of motherhood, making sacrifices et al.

The image that Sridevi represents is not one of a liberated woman, yet there is a lot in it that makes the image stand out from the traditional heroine. Apart form the variety of roles she plays, the most essential relevance of her persona is that Sridevi symbolises sexual liberation , albeit of a crude variety as exhibited by her dances and those bedroom scenes, with their embarrassing excess of the double entendre.  

Though there is a wide range of roles she represents, by and large her films, especially those from the Southern banners, have roughly represented the same image. The character which Sridevi represents spring form the consciousness of male writers and film makers, and are therefore ideally voluptuous from the male point of view. But there is a strong feminist streak too. 

In Majaal, the forceful public prosecutor gives up her career, after losing to her husband in court. In Nagina the she-snake does everything for the he-snake. In Suhagan the virtues of a woman confined to the home are stressed. In short, the woman's life still revolves around the man. But Sridevi is not the meek, suffering woman. In other words, the message is: step out of the threshold of the home, by all means, but do it for the family, for the husband, for motherhood. 

The image is carefully built up to conform to the basic patterns of the Bharatiya Nari. When there is voyeurism or anything for titillation, in terms of the actual story line, it is conveniently despatched to the realms of fantasy. But there is a significant degree of emancipation in terms of what the woman can do within the limits of traditional moral/social compulsions. She can fight the bad guys or become a cop or a lawyer, as long as it is in the interest of her tribe. 

At the sexual level, she marks the beginning of a new phase in female sexuality to the Indian screen. A critic once described the song and dance sequences in Indian films as "an elaborate metaphor for the orgasm." And nowhere has this become more clear than in the Sridevi films, with her innuendos and gestures leaving no doubt at all in the minds of the viewers. 

Backing this up are the scenes laden with double meaning, with the irrepressible Kader Khan coming up with many a blush-worthy word. In those bedroom scenes, the woman is decidedly coy, but there is a touch of willingness. Within the four walls of the bedroom and the confines of the institutions of the family, the heroine has been sexually liberated.

In Sridevi however, we see the sexual liberation of the woman in a way that in some ways also conforms to traditional sensibilities. By the fusing of traditional images and symbols (the saree, the flower-decked hair, the coy woman) with the notions attached to sexuality (the gyration etcetera) filmmakers have perhaps succeeded in getting across an image that is sexually reformed but not defiantly rebellious. If one notices carefully, one finds that sexuality is still controlled by men. The woman enjoys in order to please, but outside the bedroom the man is portrayed as dominant, as if that is the ideal situation. 

Thus, Sridevi represents a limited state of liberation for the woman's image. Her appeal is mainly to the urban working-class. It is perhaps because of its interaction with the Zeenat Aman-influenced middle class that the working-class seems to have reached a stage where it can accept an educated woman, or a woman who takes an interest in sex, as normal. Zeenat Aman and Sridevi have done, through their personal symbology, what paperback novels did in the West over a decade ago; they have driven home the point that nice girls do have fun. For the middle-class what was good was in a sense, Western. Therefore, the liberation in a sense came about through the western image of Zeenat Aman. The same purpose has been achieved for the working class by Ms Thunder Things. 

Above: Zeenat Aman and Sridevi in Bollywood, Iconic Indian sex symbols 

From a column in a magazine, circa 1987-1988. Sridevi still from the film Aulad.

TBT: Anil Kapoor: Nostra "Dame"Us: Anil predicts his heroines' futures: Sridevi

One from the archives, MOVIE magazine spoke to Anil Kapoor back in March 1994. Anil had a stream of consciousness kind of chat regarding all the leading ladies of the time, from Karishma Kapoor to Juhi, Madhuri Dixit to Sridevi. 

Excerpt:

The mission was to make Anil Kapoor talk on something besides himself. I had to be careful in choosing a topic where he didn't take off on the 'I' spree. But he didn't want to speak on the other heroes as he would invoke their 'I're. And just when I was about to retire, he thought it would be a great idea to talk about his heroines. 

Anil has acted with all or most of the heroines apart from the little ones storming or swarming the industry today. And here is what Anil (Nostradamus) Kapoor predicts.

SRIDEVI

"Sridevi and I are currently in the same boat. Let's hope two negatives get together and make something positive."

As an actor, as Anil Kapoor, I'm no one to comment on why Sridevi is losing out or not losing out on films. But as a producer, I can say that price has definitely become an issue with Sridevi. While an actress of Sridevi's calibre need not, and should not compromise on her price for businessmen who pose as film-makers, Sridevi should make allowances for genuine producers. There are some film-makers like my brother Boney who spend lavishly on their films (sometimes even to their last penny) and an actor or actress can gain a lot by doing their films. If Sridevi demands her market price from such producers, then I think it's unfair. Tomorrow if Rajshri Products (of Maine Pyar Kiya fame) approach Sridevi, she should compromise on her price. These people do one film at a time and their prestige is even more than the star's. The star is almost guaranteed a good film. Or else she should work like in the west where she does one film at a time. Then she can deservedly demand her price. Like for Laadla, Nitin Manmohan has given her the full price and she's completed the film in six months. That's fair. There must be a lot of good producers who want to work with Sridevi but because of her price they must be shying away. So in that sense, she might lose a lot of good films. Maye it doesn't pinch her., she's done some good films and seen a lot of success. But in the long run, she does need to compromise.

Sridevi's at that stage in her career where she needs to change. I feel the she needs a break form the kind of roles she's done in Mr.India, Chaalbaaz, Chandni etc. which are pure entertainers. Even Lamhe, I don't think was different. She was the same Sridevi doing the same things. Even if in these entertainers, she should space them out so that when she does them again, the audience will lap it up. In Laadla, she's playing a very different role and I think she'll be accepted in a big way. She's extra-ordinary. She's playing almost a negative character, a vampish role that of a bitch. She's got hardly two songs, most of the songs are sung by me. When I see her in the film, I like her so much because I'm seeing her like this for the first time.

Yes, we're still working together because if she's had flops with me, then even I've had flops with her so we're in the same boat (laughs a lot). So let's hope two negatives get together and make something positive.

There has never been any friction between us. The press imagined that I was unhappy after Sridevi got a lot of applause for Mr.India. They wanted me to be unhappy, so they were upset when I wasn't (laughs uncontrollably). Till today, I'm remembered for Mr.India, children still refer to me as Mr. India. I think I got a lot from that film.

Nor was Sridevi upset that I was backing Madhuri also. I have worked with both of them quite a lot and I didn't witness any change in Sridevi even after Madhuri's sudden climb. With me she always was very communicative and we got along very well, but now I see that she's started getting along with everyone. She's more comfortable and I think one of the main reasons is the house she's bought in Bombay. That's made her more secure. Previously she used to stay in a hotel or at my house and feel very much an outsider.  I don't think that feeling is there any more.

Far from being sad at the state of affairs, I think she was a lot more insecure when she was at her peak according to the media. Now I find her much more humorous, much more funnier. I really couldn't say what has brought about this change. It's a kind of personal rea I wouldn't like to get into.

One thing I must say about Sridevi is that she has never tried to manoeuvre or tried to do any P.R. Whatever position she's reached is totally on the basis of her talent. I remember at the time of Karma, Boney had to go down south to tell Sridevi who Subash Ghai was. She was totally unaware. So many times I have to tell her that, "Listen this guy is a good film-maker you must do his film." Her talent is so tremendous that if she had done a  film with Mani Ratnam or someone like Raj Kapoor or any of the young, good, committed directors like Raj Kumar Santoshi, Vinod Chopra etc, she'd have torn the screen apart. She's working with anyone and anybody and the result she's getting... is for all to see. She had become so unapproachable.... for a long time she didn't even have a secretary.

Professionally, I think she's just going through a bad patch where luck is not favouring her. If Lamhe would have clicked in a big way, it would have been a different scene altogether. But still, she's been No.1 for about twenty years now and she's still the highest paid actress. She's had great innings."

Interview conducted by Anupama Sekhri for MOVIE magazine.