Gone so soon! | Daily News

Gone so soon!

 Sridevi made a comeback with English Vinglish (2012) and proved that she has not lost her charm.
Sridevi made a comeback with English Vinglish (2012) and proved that she has not lost her charm.

Beauty lies in the eyes and we are all beholders. If it had not been for those wonderfully big and extremely expressive eyes, Sridevi would not have been half the star she is today. The actress who is also regarded as Bollywood’s first female ‘superstar’ is not only known being an actor par excellence but also as a dancer extraordinaire. She is possibly the only actress among her contemporaries to master a comic timing, a void she leaves behind which is impossible to fill.

The landmark actress died of a cardiac arrest in Dubai in the late hours of Saturday night while she was attending a family wedding. She was 54 at the time of her demise.

Hailing from the South Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, better known as Sridevi’s acting debut started at the age of four in M A Thirumugham’s ‘Thunaivan.’ She contained as a child artiste Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films before making her debut in Bollywood through ‘Julie.’ Her first big break as a heroine came in 1976 when she starred in K Balachander`s milestone movie ‘Moondru Mudichu’ opposite Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth. Soon she made inroads into Telugu language movies by acting with all the top heroes in Tamil filmdom. Some of her most significant Tamil films are ‘16 Vayathinile’ (1977), ‘Sigappu Rojakkal’ (1978), ‘Varumayin Niram Sivappu’ (1980), ‘Meendum Kokila’ (1981) , ‘Premabhishekam’ (1981), Moondram Pirai (1982), Aakhari Poratam (1988), Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari (1990) and Kshana Kshanam (1991).

Though it was 1983’s ‘Himmatwala’ which made her a inseparable part of Bollywood, her first adult role in a Hindi movie in 1978’s ‘Solva Sawan’ was unnoticed. ‘Himmatwala’ even earned her the famous nickname ‘Thunder Thighs’ due to doing a dance number wearing a short skirt. It also made Jeetendra and Sridevi a popular onscreen pair. The duo went on to star in several hits like `Tohfa`, `Mawaali` and `Justice Chaudhry`.

The critically acclaimed ‘Sadma’ opposite Kamal Hasan brought her acting prowess to the limelight. Her performance in the film has often been cited by critics as the most definitive child-woman performance of Sridevi’s career.

Hits like Naya Kadam (1984), Maqsad (1984), Masterji (1985), Nagina (1986), Nazrana (1987), Mr. India (1987), Waqt Ki Awaz (1988), Chandni (1989), ChaalBaaz (1989), Lamhe (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Gumrah (1993), Laadla (1994) and Judaai (1997) made her a household name. Acting opposite many ace Bollywood actors, from Jeetendar to Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Sunny Deol she has also starred with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar from the younger generation of actors. She has bagged five Filmfare Awards and has been nominated 10 times. In 2013, the Indian Government awarded Sridevi with the prestigious Padma Shri Award. She was also voted ‘India’s Greatest Actress in 100 Years’ in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted in 2013 on the occasion of the Centenary of Indian Cinema.

It is known that Sridevi was offered a role in ‘Jurassic Park’ by Steven Spielberg. She refused because it wasn`t a starring role and it would have meant taking a break from Bollywood, at a time, when she was at the peak of her career.

Though she had countless marriage proposals from wealthy Indians Sridevi married film producer Boney Kapoor in 1996. Boney happened to be the elder brother of actor Anil and Sanjay Kapoor. Their daughters, Jahnvi and Khushi, were named after the heroines of Boney’s films ‘Judaai’ (1997) and ‘Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai’ (2000).

Surviving all odds the actress made a comeback to filmdom after a 15-year-long hiatus with Gauri Shinde’s 2012 hit ‘English Vinglish’. She has produced many of Boney’s films like ‘Shakthi’ (2002) too. Her last performance was seen in ‘Mom’ which released in July 2017.

Many of India’s prominent figures have expressed their shock over Sridevi’s untimely demise. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that he is “saddened by the untimely demise of the noted actor Sridevi. She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace.”

“I’ve lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend” pens Superstar Rajinikanth while Kamal Hassan states “Have witnessed Sridevi’s life from an adolescent teenager to the magnificent lady she became. Her stardom was well deserved. Many happy moments with her flash through my mind including the last time I met her. Sadma’s lullaby haunts me now. We’ll miss her.”

Hema Malini notes, “Can’t imagine how such a bubbly person, a wonderful actor, is no more” while her contemporary Madhuri Dixit tweeted that “the world has lost a very talented person who left behind a huge legacy in film.”

Aamir Khan was “deeply disturbed and saddened.” He further added, “I have always been a huge fan of her work. Equally I have always been an admirer of the grace and dignity with which she conducted herself… Ma’am, we will always remember you with love and respect.”

Juhi Chawla tweeted “I’ve always been such a fan of Sriji! How fragile is this life we take for granted!”

“Shocked, stunned. Still see her laughing talking. Unbelievable. Actor par excellence. A school in herself.. learnt so much from her. Still can’t believe it. A huge loss,” tweeted Kajol. Akshay Kumar states, “A dream for many, had the good fortune of sharing screen space with her long ago and witnessed her continued grace over the years.”

Jacqueline Fernandez tweets “An absolute icon. Gone too soon, #Sridevi. Too soon...”

Preity Zinta wrote “Life is so fragile and unpredictable! You will always live in our hearts forever.”

Kareena Kapoor called Sridevi’s passing “heartbreaking” while Anushka Sharma tweeted “just can’t believe it’s true... All my love and strength to the family. As gorgeous as an Angel and now amidst them.”

Most significant performances

Sridevi’s sensuousness and beauty left many a film buff feeling misty. Here is a look back at the golden girl’s top dream performances.

Jaag Utha Insaan (1983)

Though it was ‘Himmatwala’ that launched her into stardom in Bollywood it was this unsuccessful nugget of a film produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by the inimitable K Vishwanath where Sridevi shone as a temple dancer wooed by a Brahmin boy Rakesh Roshan and a socio-economically challenged underdog Mithun Chakraborty

Sadma (1983)

The true coming of age of one of India’s finest actresses happed with ‘Sadma’. As a girl who after an accident regresses into childhood, Sridevi conveyed all the nuances of her character’s predicament without getting over-cute. The performance is so accomplished and complete that it never ceases to astonish. Sridevi’s formidable co-star Kamal Haasan thinks she did the character even better in the Tamil original ‘Moondram Pirai’.

Nagina (1985)

What an impact! Sridevi as a snake-woman slithering on the floor dancing to Amrish Puri’s ‘been’ music as Lata Mangeshkar sang the chartbuster ‘Main Teri Dushman Dushman Tu Mera’ was unforgettable.

Jaanbaaz (1986)

It is strange how Sridevi’s legendary reputation is built on songs and dances as much as her breathtaking performances. In Feroz Khan‘s ‘Jaanbaaz’, she had a brief role as Feroz’s beloved. But her presence in the glowing orange chiffon sari dancing to the sound of ‘Har Kisiki Nahin Milta‘, lingers.

Mr. India (1987)

‘Mr India’ marks a turning-point in Sridevi’s everlasting romance with the camera. Playing the perky Ms Journalist who hates kids Sridevi was just amazing. If Sridevi’s comic timing in the Charlie Chaplin impersonation sequence was impeccable, she oozed sensuality in that iconic blue chiffon saree in the song ‘Kaate Nahin Kat Te‘.

Chandni (1989)

With this film Sridevi became what she was born to be.- a Yash Chopra heroine. Thinned down to a chiseled charmer, and sharpening her subtle emotive skills, Sridevi delivered a knock-out performance which straightway propelled her to the No.1 position. The film was an extended show-reel of her talent as she danced, sang, giggled and wept for the love of a tragically wheelchair-bound Rishi Kapoor. Seldom has any Yash Chopra heroine made such sumptuous use of the camera space.

Chaalbaaz (1989)

The same year as ‘Chandni’, Sridevi wowed movie buffs with her double role as the docile Anju and the tomboyish Manju. Though Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini had done the same double-role before Sridevi brought an added zest to the role. Pankaj Parasher let the actress have all the fun that she wanted.

Lamhe (1991)

Sridevi, as we all know, is addictive. After ‘Chandni’, Yash Chopra needed to work with her again. He brought her back to the screen in this bold love story of a girl who dares to love a man old enough to be her father. Sridevi played both the mother and the daughter with such distinctive flair that it is a wonder that the same actress do so many different spectrums of emotion in the same film.

Army (1996)

In this, the only film that brought Sridevi face to face with Shah Rukh Khan, there is a sequence where Shah Rukh playing an army officer is brought home dead. All through the film, Shah Rukh plays I-am-dead pranks on Sridevi, so she presumes this is also one of those sick jokes. The way she goes from giggling dismissal to shock and finally a breakdown in that sequence is a textbook of pitch-perfect acting.

Judaai (1996)

Her last hurrah before she bowed out to play wife and mother ‘Judaai’ is a melodrama directed by the late Raj Kanwar. It features Sridevi at her absolute best. The way she lifts some mundane scenes has to be seen to be believed.

English Vinglish (2012)

‘English Vinglish’ is considered as her comeback film. It proved once again there will never be another Sridevi.



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