Sridevi presents S Janaki her lifetime achievement award

Sistla Sreeramamurthy Janaki, known mostly as the legendary singer S Janaki was born on 23 April 1938. Sridevi presented the singer her lifetime achievement award back in 2007. 

More images and clips of the two in the archive. 

We honour the "Nightingale of the South" today on her 88th birthday. 

S. Janaki sang roughly 90–100 songs for Sridevi (across Tamil, Telugu, and a few Hindi films), mostly in the 1970s–1980s. This is based on the comprehensive list on her official/fan-maintained site (sjanaki.net), which catalogs dozens of Tamil and Telugu playback tracks where Janaki voiced Sridevi, plus a handful of Hindi ones noted separately. Exact counts vary slightly by source (as some films had multiple versions/dubs or solos/duets), but it’s a substantial body of work that helped define Sridevi’s early superstar image in South Indian cinema.

Sridevi and S Janaki in 2007

 Many of these are evergreen classics, especially the Ilaiyaraaja-scored Tamil hits from the late 1970s that blended melody, emotion, and Sridevi’s expressive screen presence. Telugu versions/remakes often adapted or reused tunes. Hindi songs were fewer but included some chart-toppers.

🎤 Most Popular S. Janaki Songs for Sridevi
(Chronological Order • Tamil, Telugu & Hindi Hits)

S. Janaki sang roughly 90–100 songs for Sridevi across Tamil, Telugu, and a few Hindi films (1970s–1980s). These are the most iconic and evergreen ones — perfect for any Sridevi fan!

Year	Film (Language)	Song	Music Director	Lyricist	Notes
1977	Kavikkuyil (Tamil)	Kuyile Kavi Kuyile	Ilaiyaraaja	Panchu Arunachalam	Soulful solo; early hit that launched the magical combo
1977	16 Vayathinile (Tamil)	Senthoora Poove	Ilaiyaraaja	Gangai Amaran	Massive rural romantic classic; still played everywhere
1978	Padaharella Vayasu (Telugu)	Sirimalle Puvva	K. Chakravarthy (Ilaiyaraaja tune)	Veturi Sundararama Murthy	Superhit Telugu version; concert favourite even today
1979	Dharma Yuddham (Tamil)	Aagaya Gangai	Ilaiyaraaja	M.G. Vallaban	Energetic duet with Malaysia Vasudevan; huge chartbuster
1980	Varumayin Niram Sivappu (Tamil)	Chippi Irukkuthu	M.S. Viswanathan	Kannadasan	Playful romantic duet with the great S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
1982	Moondram Pirai (Tamil)	Vaanengum Thanga Vinmeengal	Ilaiyaraaja	Vairamuthu	Dreamy poetic duet with S.P.B.; one of the most beautiful tracks ever

Other evergreen favourites often featured in Sridevi–Janaki compilations:
Manjakkulichi & Aattukkutti (16 Vayathinile), Ninaivo Oru Paravai (Sigappu Rojakkal), Kanne Pillavani (Aakali Rajyam), Gori Ka Sajan (Aakhree Raasta – Hindi) and so on.

Sridevi on Filmfare Stage: Janvhi Kapoor on Filmfare Stage

Sridevi on Filmfare Stage: Janvhi Kapoor on Filmfare Stage 

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Kapil Sharma with Sridevi and Boney Kapoor at Filmfare Awards 2017

Wishing standup comic Kapil Sharma the very best today - the most famous Indian comic today turns 45. 

During the 62nd Filmfare Awards back in 2017, the emcee of the night, Sharma had a fun, cheeky moment with Sridevi and Boney Kapoor while talking about the 2016 demonetisation of ₹500 and ₹1000 notes.

He turned to the front row, looked at Sridevi and playfully asked how she was managing her ghar ka kharcha after the note ban, teasing her that she must have had “piles of cash” stashed away at home. Sridevi, being the sport she always was, burst out laughing and took the joke beautifully, turning it into one of those light, memorable filmy moments with Kapil.

Kapil has repeated said on his show (in all its avatars!) that Sridevi was one of his favourite actresses - it would have been fun to see Sri and Kapil share the stage together - alas. Just wasn't meant to be.

Lucky for Kapil - he did run into her at an event years before he became the multi-crore earing Netflix superstar. 

PS: More than Kapil though, in absolute awe of the chameleon comic brilliance of Sunil Grover. He was great as Gulzar, Mithun, Dharmendra (in the past), and so on. But his capture of Salman Khan and recently of Kader Khan has been next level. They need to create a special award just for him. 

Sridevi on stage: Iconic Indian actress rocks

The dazzling gold ensemble many might recognise from Chaand kaa Tukdaa, Sridevi used and re-used the glittering costume for several stage shows thereafter! 

There are few clips online of Sridevi dancing away to her hit numbers on stage; there was an early 90s "Sridevi Nite in Dubai" where Sridevi looked and danced her best--alas few good copies of that video have survived. 

Some clips you can find online at YouTube here. 

Dilip Kumar with Sridevi on stage

At the epic mahurat of Lamhe, Dilip Kumar with Sridevi. 

Remembering the late great Dilip sahab on his birth anniversary. 

The great one lived till the age of 98 and though he had stopped working decades ago, the entire nation stood still when he passed; his legacy entrenched with Indian cinema forever. 

Sridevi worked with the legend in two films, Karma and Dharm Adhikari, both released in 1986. Rumour has it Saira Banu was a fan of Sridevi, Dilip Kumar rarely spoke of other actresses... 

Dazzling Sridevi at the premiere of Lamhe

Released on 22 November 1991, Sridevi disembarking the stage after picking up her Lamhe release trophy. 

Caption from Tinsel Town says it all;

Gifted Girl: Even if her hero should prove somewhat less than noble in lineage, he's sure to feel like royalty in her loving arms! Born performer, Sridevi gives her audience exactly what it wants. 
 

Rare photo: Anil Kapoor and Sridevi on stage in the 1990s

Rare photo: Anil Kapoor and Sridevi on stage in the 1990s 
 

Sridevi with co-star and friend Rajinikanth on stage

13 years her senior, Rajinikanth and Sridevi were friends and colleagues for the longest time-- perhaps Sridevi was even closer to him and his family than even Kamal Haasan (with who she had a rather volatile relationship believe it or not!). 

Its funny how both their careers took off from the same Tamil film back in 1976; the "twisted" drama Moondru Mudichu. The classic film marked Sridevi's first leading adult role as a heroine, and Rajinikanth's first major role in Tamil. Released on 22 October 1976, the film was a huge hit and critically acclaimed. K Balachander, a mentor for both, changed the lives of all three stars in different ways. Tamil cinema owes a great debt to the filmmaker who enhanced the narrative of Indian cinema and brought actors to the forefront, who became oversized superstars later. The fandom of the three is... well, not possible to replicate again. But the roots of all three derives from drama; they were performers first, stars later. Today, new gen wants fame and all its paraphernalia and not work for it. Rant on that later... 

There's an over simplified meme and image of Sridevi floating on the net for decades - Sridevi acted as Rajinkanth's mom at age 13 - which is staggeringly ignorant of what the complexity of the narrative was offering. But then, the net is not one for nuance... 

Amitabh Bachchan presents Sridevi her Best Actress Filmfare trophy for Chaalbaaz: Honouring the Big B's Birthday today!

Amitabh Bachchan presents Sridevi her Best Actress Filmfare trophy for Chaalbaaz! 

Big B, Amitabh Bachchan turns 83 today and remains the only actor of his age and stature still working as hard and as often as he does. He believes 'rest is rust' and that omen keeps the actor within alive and well, constantly raising the bar with one stellar performance after another. Box-office may or may not always be with him, but hardly anyone points a finger at his acting.  

 Amitabh, eternal light, simply the greatest Indian actor alive today. Bless him. 

TBT to 1998: Sridevi at Filmfare Awards

Sridevi's first public appearance post-baby, the actress hit the stage at Filmfare to present the Best Actor award (to a gleeful Shahrukh Khan for Dil Toh Paagal Hai). 

Dazzling in gold and in a traditional kanjeevaram, she reminded all once a superstar, always a superstar.

 

Premiere of Chandni: Throwback to 1989 with Vinod Khanna, Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor!

Premiere of Chandni: Throwback to 1989 with Vinod Khanna, Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor!  

The earliest picture of Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit sharing a stage together: Summer of 1990!

Well, they worked together briefly in the shelved film Zameen, where Sridevi was the lead actress with Vinod Khanna in the Ramesh Sippy directed movie, while newcomer Madhuri Dixit had a supporting role. Sadly, that film never saw the light of day. In the summer of 1990, Chiranjeevi decided to step into Bollywood, after being the top star of Telugu films, following the footsteps of his favourite co-star, Sridevi. Pratibandh was launched with great fanfare and invites to several Hindi film stars. Funnily enough, Chiranjeevi's co-star in the film--Juhi Chawla--was out of town working in another film, so Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit sharted the stage with him. 

We have many more pics in the archive here. 

Rare pics of Sridevi with Bappi Lahiri and family

 Sridevi looks so beautiful here on stage with Rema Lahiri, Bappi da and others. 

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Rare pic: Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi and Vinod Khanna at the premier of Chandni back in 1989!

Rare pic: Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi and Vinod Khanna at the premier of Chandni back in 1989!

Dozens of pics in the archive here. 

Sridevi hits the stage: Hope 86

The dream of watching Sridevi perform live - so few have. She was magical on stage... 

 

Rare pic: Sridevi at the premiere of Chandni back in 1989

Rare pic: Sridevi at the premiere of Chandni back in 1989
 

Jeetendra and Sridevi setting the stage on fire: TBT to the early 90s

The most brilliant business mind in Bollywood is undoubtedly Jeetendra. From his humble beginnings to the head of a film and television empire, he needs to do a masterclass on surviving the industry and rising in every phase. 

One of the early proponents of lucrative stage shows in the west, aimed at the wide NRI diaspora craving for a sight of a screen legend, he pulled Sridevi on stage and the two made more than a pretty penny from star-studded stage shows abroad. 

Some rare snaps of the two while they went on a world tour, dazzling Sridevi and Jeetendra on stage. To be honest, Jeetendra was no great shake on a dais but star wattage covered every flaw. Sridevi was of course fabulous. 

Funnily enough, when you break down what stars make per hour on a film versus appearances, advertisements, stage shows, fashion shows, wedding appearances, the least amount of money an actor makes is during film production! Once you level up to a tier, the highest being where Shahrukh Khan stands today, making a film is a financial loss by comparison, when you can make serious dollars by strutting into a mehendi of a film fan family, instead of making a rupee in a movie! If you know, you know... 

Goes without saying but we have a huge archive of images of Sridevi on stage here.

 

Happy Birthday Rani Mukerji!

Back in 2006, Sridevi presented Rani Mukerji one of her clean sweep of awards for her performance in Black; truly a remarkable performance that's established the young actress' legacy. Such a high benchmark, every other win seems... pale in comparison. 

On stage Rani said to Sridevi, "I became an actress watching you," and the famous fan turns a year older today. Rani as an actress is in a league of her own--that husky voice, those light eyes, and her spirited interviews, she's such a fun movie star and true actor. 

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Rani was damn good from the word go--even in a awful film like Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat, many critics noted a standout performance that overshadowed all others in the otherwise B film. The movie was meant to launch Shadaab Khan, son of the great Amjad Khan, but it was Rani's career that took off. And how! 

It doesn't matter where you get started, talent always shines. Have a blessed year Rani! 

There are dozens of pics of Sridevi with Rani Mukerji over the years in the archive on this blog - I need to amend the spelling; have always written it as Mukherjee; well, its Mukerji! 

Gorgeous Sridevi with Shahrukh Khan on stage at Filmfare

Sridevi had just presented Shahrukh Khan one of his many Filmfares - this time for Dil Toh Paagal Hai. 

How beautiful Sridevi looks on stage... 


 

TBT: Sridevi at iifa: The green carpet, the red gown, and the Goddess of Stage!

 

TBT: Sridevi at iifa: The green carpet, the red gown, and the Goddess of Stage! A memorable appearance by Sridevi in Canada, when it was officially announced that she was returning to the big screen with English Vinglish after a decade of keeping people guessing. 

The iifa awards were on recently and as always, the prizes were given to anyone who turned up. A free vacation for stars, a laughable judging panel, it's hardly a merit based award ceremony, where they make up categories on the go as stars turn up. The rule of thumb generally is, if the star's sitting on the front row, he/she is picking up a golden trophy. 

Used to love watching it when Sridevi attended or Aishwarya Rai did or the Bachchans did for the sheer glamour of it all. Now of course, the A-list only turn up if they are guaranteed acknowledgement or are  getting paid huge amounts of foreign currency to perform on stage. A handful of starlets and wannabes turn up for the free flight and stay! 

The awards are all risible but will give props to the stage shows; some of the greatest performances by Indian celebrities (and some of the worst!) have been performed at iifa. No surprises, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Sushant Singh Rajput and especially Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan have given incredible live, non-stop dance performances. Have witnessed their incredible skill sets that make them who they are. 

Have sadly also witnessed the worst dances by stars too; namely, Sonam Kapoor and... so reluctant to type this but it was Parineeti Chopra. Pari is a lovely actress and truly one of the better talents on and off screen, and she was wonderful to the press and fans... but, but, but she has zero stage presence, had the worst stage outfit, and can't shake a leg. Meanwhile, Sonam Kapoor was stiff as a cardboard and whoaaa, dreadful. Was like watching a kid in highschool barely pass the elementary stage of dancing, but getting the applause by the teary-eyed family. Which we also saw... (Anil was in the audience and his wife Sunita Kapoor who is profoundly bored of Bollywood!). 

Not all stars can be everything to everyone. Manoj Bajpai and Tabu are wonderful actors, but both have performed poorly on stage when it comes to the song and dance routines expected of Bollywood's top tier stars. Manoj did this weird crow dance at Filmfare that was the worst thing I've ever seen. And Tabu in... say it with me... Thakshak. It has millions of views on YouTube as the music by AR Rahman is incredible, but ask any classical Indian dancer - they all cringe when they watch it. And I say it being a mega Tabu fan--she's easily the greatest actress of her generation, bar none. Hema Malini can dance like a dream, but as an actress... well, she's no Tabu either!  

Obviously not all are like Sridevi who could do it all. And then some! 

RELATED FEATURES 

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• Sridevi at iifa over the years here.