Sridevi's most memorable roles

Apart from being one of the most beautiful faces in Indian cinema, Sridevi was synonymous with one important quality that makes actors stars. She danced like a dream. Such were her moves that people in theatres, the male gender to be specific, used to swoon over her. But that was just a part of this fantastic actor’s career. Her unprecedented popularity in Tamil and Telugu cinema earned her a place in Hindi films and her on-screen energy and beauty took her to the top. Whether she did critically lauded roles or run-of-the-mill potboilers, the audience lapped it up. Proof was her cameo presence in Jaanbaaz where she made the song Har kisi ko nahi milta a memorable moment. Sridevi was also one of controversy’s favourite children. Her rumoured relationship with Mithun Chakraborty, her constant rivalry with Jaya Prada and Madhuri Dixit and her sudden marriage to Boney Kapoor kept her in the headlines. Most of her early films from the ‘80s were dubbed by other actresses, including Rekha. But that never stopped the fans from cheering for Sridevi. Her persona and charisma was and is beyond any cinema language. As she readies for a comeback in Gauri Shinde’s next, we go down memory lane.

Solva Sawan (1979)
Sridevi was already a known name in the Telugu and Tamil film industries when she acted in her first Hindi film as a leading lady in 1979. Before this, she’d played a young teen in Julie (1975). Solva Sawan was a new league. Sridevi played an ambitious and attractive young village girl. She was noted for her acting skills and her curvaceous form. Amol Palekar’s act as the village retard almost stole the show. In this remake of the hit film 16 Vayathinilae, 16-year-old Sridevi held her own.

Himmatwala (1983)
A corollary to Sri’s success in Sadma was her first major film with Jeetendra. Himmatwala was a remake of the Telugu hit Ooriki Monagadu (1981) and Sri’s role fit her into the commercial mould of a Hindi film heroine. So this film was all about larger-than-life sets, elaborate dance numbers, costumes and good ol’ make-up. Not only did the film’s blockbuster success kick off the Jeetendra-Sridevi partnership, it established Sri as one of the best dancing actors in the country.

Sadma (1983)
Four years on, Sridevi did about a dozen films a year in the Tamil and Telugu circuits. Her Hindi career didn’t quite take off as Solva Sawan failed to impress the ticket buyers. But with the coming of Moondram Pirai in Tamil and Kamal Haasan’s growing popularity in the Hindi markets, the film’s remake Sadma in Hindi. It catapulted Sridevi to the list of promising young actors. Playing a child-like adult in a complicated and tragic love story, Sridevi exhibited the same charm and skill that got her noticed in her Hindi debut.

Jaag Utha Insan (1984)
Sri was being looked at as a bankable star and her films with Jeetendra were earning big bucks. But her commercial success didn’t hinder her pursuit for excellence. In Jaag Utha Insan, Sri played a young dancer from the upper middle strata of society who falls in love with a modest Hari. This sensitive portrayal of love and longing earned Sri many accolades. It was around this film that her rumoured and much-talked-about relationship with Mithun Chakraborty made news.

Tohfa (1984)
By the mid ’80s, there was a large influx of South actresses in Hindi cinema. Sridevi was already on the fast ride to the top and naturally there was competition. So while press columns were full of the rivalry between Sri and Jaya Prada, Tohfa released to great fanfare at the theatres. This classic love triangle gave Jaya Prada a meatier role but Sri’s lavish dances with Jeetendra made the film a runaway hit. To date, the song Sri’s tip toe dance on top of metal pots in Gori tere ang ang men is remembered with enthusiasm.

Inquilaab (1984)
Inquilaab was Sridevi’s first film opposite superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Being Amitabh’s leading lady was a casting success for any actress, but Sri made sure she didn’t sign on just any potboiler. In the film she played the daughter of a rich politician who falls in love with an idealistic super cop. But as her husband succeeds in his career, she discovers that he’s a pawn in her father’s hands. The progressive theme of the film ensured Sri had a challenging role as Amitabh went about his regular angry young man fare.

Nagina (1985)
This wasn’t quite Nagin the cult hit multi-starrer from 1975, but had similar themes. Sridevi splendidly played a young and enigmatic Rajni who’s accused of being a shape shifting serpent by the villainous Amrish Puri. Sri’s love story with Rishi Kapoor in the film was cute but what stole the show was her nagin act. The song Main teri dushman with Amrish Puri as the dastardly snake charmer is now stuff of movie legends.

Karma (1986)
This multi-starrer was perhaps Sridevi’s most important big ticket film at the time. A movie with Dilip Kumar, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor and Nutan with Subhash Ghai at the helm was a casting feat and dream come true for any young actress. In her brief role as Radha she shared some fantastic chemistry with Jackie Shroff and together they added a young charm to the film. 

Aakhree Raasta (1986)
Yes this was another film cashing in on the Sridevi-Jaya Prada rivalry. It was a film where Amitabh Bachchan and his double role were more important. It was one of the many Hindi films where Sridevi’s voice was dubbed by Rekha. Sri balanced marvelously well between comedy, romance and drama, a trait which would from then on, become a mainstay of her commercial performances.

Mr India (1987)
Without Mr India in her body of work, Sridevi’s career would be great, but she wouldn’t have been perceived as phenomenal. It was the surprising popularity and success of Mr India that gave Sri an immortal place in film history. This was Anil Kapoor’s film all the way but trust Sri to come up with moments of brilliance and steal the show. Her bubbly portrayal of Seema, her unforgettable performance in Hawa hawaii and when she made love to the camera in Kaate nahi katte the audiences cheered in orgasmic awe.

Aulad (1987)
Another Sridevi and Jeetendra film with Jaya Prada playing the third central character. The premise of the film was unique, where Sridevi’s character goes missing after an accident and her husband Jeetendra, assuming she’s dead, gives her infant child to Jaya Prada for upbringing. Sri’s character returns and the melodrama begins. The film stretched its drama bits a bit like modern soap operas, but Sri delivered a finely underplayed and nuanced performance of a mother longing for her child.


Commercial capers
Throughout her career, Sridevi was cast in a number of commercial films. Though not her best works, she did manage to work with some of the big names of the industry.

Jaani Dost (1983)
A young Sridevi was teamed with Dharmendra, Jeetendra and Parveen Babi in this action, thriller potboiler about two friends gunning against gangsters.

Sultanat (1986)
Sridevi played an enchanting princess Yasmeen who had Sunny Deol’s Sultan head over heels in love with her in this Arabian Nights like love saga.

Ram Avtar (1988)
Sridevi upped the glamour in this drama with Anil Kapoor and Sunny Deol.

Pathar Ke Insan (1990)
In a film that had Vinod Khanna and Jackie Shroff in the leads, Sridevi played an ambitious singer.

Farishtay (1991)
Sri was the pretty leading lady in a film dominated by the machismo of Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna and Rajnikanth.

Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993)
The epic box office failure with Anil Kapoor was a mad cap comedy and romance with an over blown budget.

Chandni (1989)
Chandni was more an event and less a movie. Even as it’s shooting rolled on the sets, the film was a constant subject of discussion in the press. The film’s music made platinum success a rare feat for movies of the late ’80s. The film breathed new life into the careers of Rishi Kapoor and director Yash Chopra. But more than anything else, the film established Sridevi as the actress to beat. Her white costumes revolutionised fashion in North India and everyone wanted the Chandni look.

Nigahen: Nagina Part II (1989)
With the release of Nigahen, the sequel to the popular Nagina, Sridevi became one of the rare Hindi actors to have her own movie franchise. It never progressed beyond the second film, but it was a rare feat to even have a sequel. So Sri returned as the icchadhari nagin (shape shifting serpent) and etched that legend forever in Hindi movie lore. Her romance with shape shifting counterpart Sunny Deol made for some thrills and spills in this potboiler thriller. Sadly, the film failed to impress the audience.

ChaalBaaz (1989)
It’s believed in movie lore that if you haven’t done a double role you haven’t been a star. Sri was on top and the only feather she was missing from her cap was a dual role. This was the equivalent of Hema Malini’s Seeta Aur Geeta or Anil Kapoor’s Kishan Kanhaiya. She played twins, the tamed and submissive Anju and the boisterous and go-getting Manju. Manju helps Anju turn the tables on Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangdi’s scheming characters. Success came in the form of box office returns and her first Hindi Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Female).

Lamhe (1991)
Sri was waltzing through commercial movies and multi star films with ease. But she never gave up an opportunity to work in movies with potential for critical acclaim. When Yash Chopra decided to reprise his prize winning partnership with Sri, she simply couldn’t say no. In Lamhe she played another double role but it was unlike any played before. The film’s progressive theme of love and irony gave Sri ample room to display her acting chops. Playing both a mother and daughter, Sri managed to prove that she was an actor to reckon with as she won the Filmfare Best Actor (Female) Award.

Gumrah (1993)
It was in the early ’90s that Sridevi’s career started fluctuating between success and failure. With the dismal showing of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja Sridevi’s career suffered a setback. But Sri displayed characteristic intensity while playing the wronged and vengeful Roshni in Gumrah. There were some nice songs and dances in the film too. But in spite of Sri and Sanjay Dutt’s performances, the film failed to woo the audience.

Laadla (1994)
Between the successes of Khuda Gawah and Laadla were the forgettable Chandra Mukhi and Chaand Ka Tukda. And that was fast becoming the news in Sridevi’s career. But she continued her performances with great conviction. The intensity was apparent as she played the stern Sheetal bent on bringing down Anil Kapoor’s character Raju in Laadla. She did mellow in the latter part of the film and the character curve gave Sri a good range to perform. 

Khuda Gawah (1993)
Even as the ups and downs scaled Sri’s career, she managed to sign big ticket films like Khuda Gawah. The film was talked-about because both Amitabh Bachchan and Sri had given a string of flops. This was touted as an international project and Sri’s double role was being talked about. Along with the music and Amitabh’s larger-than-life character, Sri’s performance won accolades too.

Judaai (1997)
Sridevi signed films with younger heroes but they didn’t quite click. Army with Shah Rukh Khan drifted into oblivion while Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahi with Akshay Kumar didn’t release till 2004. Her partnership with Anil Kapoor was proving to be successful so Judaai happened. Sri’s character lets her husband marry another woman for a large sum of money. Even after 18 years in the business, Sri brought her trademark energy to moments of comedy and high drama and made Judaai her last memorable performance.

English Vinglish
The wait was long but it was surely worth its while. After a 15-year long hiatus, Sridevi made a pleasant comeback at the movies with Gauri Shinde’s directorial debut English Vinglish. After receiving a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival, this charm grenade of a film won hearts at home too. And if the film was a charm grenade then Sridevi was the charm herself. She put the act back into acting with her performance as the resilient and compliant Shashi. She conveyed the unsaid through her expressive eyes and pulled off an applause-worthy nuanced performance. From rehearsing her answers to questions that will be asked at the US Immigration counter, joining English classes and then eventually being able to make her family proud is a transformation which was etched out perfectly by her. Subtly performed and duly underplayed English Vinglish is undoubtedly one of Sri’s best performances till date.  Raved by the critics and masses alike, English Vinglish is a shining testament to Sridevi’s inimitable talent and her potential to successfully carry a film to its deserved destination.