61 years ago today, India’s first female superstar Sridevi came into the world. She was born to be a star and she proved the same with her phenomenal performances over the years. Sridevi started her career as a child artist and went on to emerge as one of the most adored and versatile actors of Indian cinema.
It was heartbreaking to lose her in 2018. Well, today on her birth anniversary, let’s celebrate some of her most iconic performances through which the late superstar continues to live on in our hearts: ChaalBaaz (1989) ‘Kisi ke haath naa aayegi yeh ladki’ were the perfect words to describe Sridevi’s character Manju. She was vibrant, street-smart and a master of her own will.
Well, proof of Sridevi’s versatility was how she also portrayed Anju, Manju’s twin sister in the film, who was a coy and very easily frightened young girl. She was extremely convincing in this double role. The actor’s brilliant chemistry with Sunny Deol and Rajinikanth was a cherry on top.
These are just some of the reasons that make ChaalBaaz a must-watch even today Chandni (1989) Another gem in Sridevi’s filmography is Yash Chopra's romantic musical Chandni . Also starring Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna, this film is not only iconic for chartbuster hits such as Mere Haathon Mein Nau Nau Choodiyan Hai , but also the statement chiffon sarees draped around Sridevi that set new standards in the fashion world. It’s safe to say that the chiffon saree trend in Bollywood was inspired by Sridevi’s never-ending love affair with the flowy garment Judaai (1997) Name a more iconic Bollywood character than Sridevi’s Kajal in Judaai , we’ll wait.
Kajal, who sold her husband Anil Kapoor to Urmila Matondkar for riches, was not an ideal wife. But Sridevi deserved all the awards that year for her convincing portrayal of Kajal. She was epic and her dialogue delivery was on point! Till the end, we saw her as Kajal and not actor Sridevi.
That’s how wonderful she was in the film. And this scene is proof of the same: English Vinglish (2013) After 15 long years, Sridevi returned to the silver screen as the endearing Shashi with English Vinglish. And what a comeback it was! Yet again, the actor proved that she can turn into any character effortlessly like a chameleon.
Shashi left us rooting for her till the end and was quite relatable to many women in our country. Also, can we take a minute to appreciate her evergreen beauty? She looked gorgeous in every saree she draped herself into, as she walked confidently to her English-speaking classes. This is a character who lives rent-free in our hearts Mom (2017) We witnessed Sridevi’s 300th and last lead role in the 2017 masterpiece Mom .
The film follows the story of a mother who goes on a revenge spree after her step-daughter is gang-raped and they get no help from the legal system. Sridevi was fierce and made sure the audience was glued to the screen as she held our attention with her powerful presence. The actor was posthumously honoured as Best Actress at the 65th National Film Awards for her incredible performance in Mom As we said, Sridevi isn’t amongst us anymore but she continues to live on in our hearts, memories and the pages of Indian cinema’s history through her magnificent work.
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