NEW DELHI – Sridevi, the Hawa Hawaai girl of Indian cinema, was more than just an actor. She was an icon in a true sense. Those who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s would remember her charm and onscreen influence. It was more than just style.
Sridevi was born two days ahead of the anniversary of Independence Day in 1963, and by the age of four, she had already started acting in films as a child artist. It was a devotional film Thunaivan, but it was also the beginning of the fascination with the celluloid world. After working in different regional languages, she debuted in Hindi with Julie (1975).
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She was meant for bigger things, things that would go on to impress and influence millions. 13 wasn’t a ripe age to start working as a female lead, but she did. The film was Tamil project Moondru Mudichu (1976). In the next two years, she did films like 16 Vayathinile and Sigappu Rojakkal.
Solva Saavan (1978) was her launching pad in Hindi, but it was a natural transition for her. Sridevi had already become a big, probably the biggest female star in the Tamil film industry. She was working with Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in all the films that mattered, at the box office and otherwise. Be it GN Rangarajan’s Meendum Kokila or Balu Mahendra’s Moondram Pirai, she excelled in every role.
Producers were literally lining up outside her house in Mumbai. Between 1983 and 1987, she was seen in 33 films in Hindi alone. Almost a film every month. Imagine the pace at which she was working.
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Occasionally, there were films like Sherni and Nakabandi, but there were Chandni, Lamhe, Khuda Gawahg as well. Her stardom spilled into the ‘90s with all sizeable stars working opposite her.
Sridevi had filled in the place vacated by Hema Malini. In fact, she was the first female superstar of the Hindi films in the true sense. Her position could be matched only by Madhuri Dixit years later.
Laadla (1994) was her only hit in that period, a top heroine wouldn’t want to leave the industry on such a note.
Judaai (1997) became a hit and Sridevi said goodbye to Bollywood. She had married Boney Kapoor and wanted to focus on her family.
It was an interval.
Like films, she returned for the second half in 2012. Her film English Vinglish showed how she hadn’t aged in all these years. She won hearts with her nuanced performance of a person living with a deep complex. Some believed it was her best performance till date. Puli (2015) marked her return to Tamil Cinema after two decades.
Last time, she was seen in Mom, a film her husband produced. Again, she was liked by all.
It’s unfortunate she couldn’t see the debut of her elder daughter Jhanvi in Dhadak this year, but if Jhanvi has learned Sridevi’s dedication, she will carry forward her legacy.
Sridevi’s last video in Dubai is going viral: The actor spent final days with family but away from daughter Janhvi.
The sudden demise of Bollywood actor Sridevi following a cardiac arrest late Saturday in Dubai has left the entire industry and her fans in shock.
Major celebrities, politicians, and other notable names took to Twitter to express their shock and grief.
https://twitter.com/SrBachchan/status/967485556115480576
A tweet posted late Saturday night by actor Amitabh Bachchan is sending shivers up social media’s spine. At a little before midnight, Mr Bachchan wrote about feeling a sense of unease, tweeting in Hindi: “Na jaane kyun, ek ajeeb si ghabrahat ho rahi hain.” His disquiet is now being seen by Twitter as an eerie premonition – hours later, the world learnt that actress Sridevi had died of a cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she and the family were attending a wedding.
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