Sridevi - India’s first female Superstar

Sridevi (born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan; 13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018) was an Indian actress and producer, who worked in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films.Regarded
as the "First female Superstar" of Indian cinema, she was the recipient of various accolades, including the National Film Award, the Nandi Award, the Tamil Nadu State Film Award, the Kerala State Film Award, three Filmfare Awards, the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, and three Filmfare Awards South. In 2013, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honor. In a career that spanned five decades, she was known for her portrayals of women in challenging situations, and appeared in a range of genres, from slapstick comedy to epic dramas. Sridevi ranked as the highest-paid woman in the Indian entertainment industry in the 1980s and early 1990s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses in the history of Indian cinema.

Sridevi made her debut as child artist with the 1967 Tamil film Kandhan Karunai at the age of 4, and started her acting career in lead role as a child with M. A. Thirumugam’s 1969 mythological Tamil film Thunaivan. She continued to act as a child artist in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films and made her Hindi film debut at age 9 with Rani Mera Naam (1972). Her first adult role came at age 13 with the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu (1976) and she established herself as one of the leading actresses of South Indian Cinema, with roles in 16 Vayathinile (1977), Thulavarsham (1976), Angeekaram (1977), Sigappu Rojakkal (1978), Padaharella Vayasu (1978), Vetagadu (1979), Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980), Meendum Kokila (1981), Premabhishekam (1981), Moondram Pirai (1982), Aakhari Poratam (1988), Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari (1990) and Kshana Kshanam (1991).

Following a notable appearance in romantic drama Julie (1975), Sridevi's first starring role in Hindi cinema came with the 1979 drama film Solva Sawan, and she received wider recognition with the 1983 film Himmatwala. She quickly established herself as the leading actress of the industry after starring in a string of successful films, including Mawaali (1983), Tohfa (1984), Naya Kadam (1984), Maqsad (1984), Masterji (1985), Karma (1986), Nazrana (1987), Mr. India (1987), Waqt Ki Awaz (1988) and Chandni (1989). She received praise for her performances in films, including Sadma (1983), Nagina (1986), ChaalBaaz (1989), in which she played dual roles, Lamhe (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Gumrah (1993), Laadla (1994), in which she played the main antagonist, and Judaai (1997). Following the role of the titular protagonist in the television sitcom Malini Iyer (2004–2005), Sridevi returned to film acting in 2012 with the successful comedy-drama English Vinglish, and then starred in her 300th film role in the 2017 thriller Mom. She earned critical acclaim for her performances in both films, and for the latter was posthumously awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress
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Honorary awards were also conferred on her by the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Sridevi was 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. On 24 February 2018, Sridevi was found dead in her guest room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The official coroner's report showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub, with unconsciousness cited as a contributing factor. News of her death featured prominently in Indian and international media. She was married to film producer Boney Kapoor, with whom she had two children including actress Janhvi Kapoor.

ACTING

1963–1975: Early years as child artist

 "I lost out on going to school and college life but I got into the film industry and worked without a gap - from child actor I went straight to heroine. There was no time to think and I was grateful for it.
— Sridevi, The New Indian Express, 2013

Sridevi started her career as a child actor at the age of four in the Tamil movie Kandan Karunai in 1967. Subsequently, she played the role of young Muruga in Thunaivan. Sridevi made her debut in Telugu cinema as a child artist with the 1970 film Maa Nanna Nirdoshi. Baby Sridevi's performance in Poompatta (1971) in Malayalam won her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist. Kandan Karunai (1967), Nam Naadu (1969), Prarthanai (1970), Babu (1971), Badi Panthulu (1972), Bala Bharatam (1972), Vasantha Maaligai (1972) and Bhakta Kumbara (1974) are the most notable films of her career as a child artist. In 1972, Sridevi debuted as a child artist in Bollywood with Rani Mera Naam directed by K. S. R. Das. She also appeared in the film Julie, where she played younger sister to the protagonist Lakshmi. She acted with Jayalalitha in Thirumangalyam, Kandan Karunai and Adi Parashakti. 

1976–1982: Widespread success in South Indian cinema

 In 1976, Sridevi landed her first leading role in the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu directed by K. Balachander. She followed it with a number of films with Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. Sridevi's first release of 1977 was Gayathri, followed by Kavikkuyil and 16 Vayathinile, where she played the role of a young girl who is caught between her two lovers. She also starred in the movie's Telugu remake Padaharella Vayasu in 1978. Her subsequent notable films included Bharathi Raja's Sigappu Rojakkal, S. P. Muthuraman's Priya, Karthika Deepam, Johnny, Varumayin Niram Sivappu and Aakali Rajyam. She acted with N. T. Rama Rao in Vetagadu, Sardar Papa Rayudu, Bobbili Puli, Justice Chowdhary and Aatagadu. She acted alongside Sivaji Ganesan in Sandhippu, Kavari Maan and the Sri Lanka-filmed coproduction Pilot Premnath.

Sridevi debuted as child artist in Kannada with Bhakta Kumbara (1974) directed by Hunsur Krishnamurthy. Her other films as a child artist in Kannada included Bala Bharatam and Yashoda Krishna. She was also a part of Hennu Samsarada Kannu (1975), directed by A.V. Sheshagiri Rao. Sridevi also acted opposite Ambarish in Priya (1978), produced by S. P. Muthurraman. She entered Malayalam films as child actor with Kumara Sambhavam in 1969, followed by I. V. Sasi's Abhinandanam. Her notable Malayalam films as the lead heroine were Thulavarsham, directed by N. Sankaran Nair in 1976, and M. Masthan's Kuttavum Shikshayum, a remake of the Tamil film Pennai Nambungal with Kamal Haasan starring opposite her.

She next appeared in the Malayalam releases like Aa Nimisham, Angeekaram and Satyavan Savithri. In 1981, she starred in the Tamil film Meendum Kokila which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil^. In 1982, Sridevi starred in Moondram Pirai playing a woman suffering from retrograde amnesia and went on to win the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress. She was paired with Kamal Haasan in 27 films across languages.

Sridevi's notable Telugu films include Konda Veeti Simham, Kshana Kshanam, Vetagadu, Sardar Paparayudu and Bobbili Puli. With A. Nageswara Rao, she appeared in movies such as Muddula Koduku, Premabhishekham, Bangaru Kanuka and Premakanuka as well as with Krishna in Kanchu Kagada, Kalavari Samsaram, Adavi Simhalu, Krishnavatharam, Burripalem Bolludu, Vajrayudham and Khaidi Rudrayya. She acted with Chiranjeevi in Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari, S. P. Parasuram. Her performance in the 1992 Ram Gopal Varma directed Kshana Kshanam opposite Venkatesh, won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu and Andhra's Nandi Award for Best Actress.

1983–1986: Breakthrough in Hindi cinema

Sridevi made her debut as a heroine in Hindi films in Solva Sawan in 1979. Four years later she was signed to star opposite Jeetendra in Himmatwala. The film released in 1983, and was one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of the year. It established Sridevi in Bollywood and earned her the famous sobriquet 'Thunder Thighs'.Her dance number "Nainon Mein Sapna" became a rage with Rediff stating that "the water pots may have dominated most frames in "Nainon mein sapna", but it was Sridevi's bejewelled outfits and headgears that stole the show". She followed with Tohfa, which was the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1984. The film established Sridevi as one of the leading actress of Bollywood, with Filmfare magazine declaring her "Unquestionably No.1" on their cover.

A remake of her Tamil film Moondram Pirai, Sadma is included in iDiva's list of '10 Must Watch Movies That Weren't Blockbusters'. Sridevi's performance as a child-woman suffering from amnesia was called by Indian Express "a milestone in her illustrious career". Sridevi also featured in the Mid Day list of 'Challenging Roles played by Bollywood Actors' describing her act in the film as "her best performance ever". In 2012, Adil Hussain, Sridevi's co-star in English Vinglish revealed that he became a fan of the actress after watching her in Sadma. The Sridevi-Kamal Hasan pair also appeared on the CNN-IBN 2012 list of 'Greatest Romantic Couples on Celluloid'. The film won Sridevi her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.

In 1986, came the snake fantasy Nagina which saw Sridevi play an 'Ichhadhaari naagin' or a shape-shifting woman. The film turned out to be the second biggest blockbuster of the year, with Box Office India stating that Sridevi remained "the undisputed No.1". It was also named one of the best snake fantasy films by Yahoo^. Times of India ranked Nagina as one of the 'Top 10 Snake Films of Hindi Cinema'. Sridevi's climax dance number 'Main Teri Dushman' also remains one of the best snake dances in Bollywood with Desi Hits calling it "one of Sridevi's most iconic dance numbers...that still gives fans goose bumps" and iDiva describing it as "the stuff of movie legends". Besides Nagina, 1986 also saw Sridevi giving box-office hits in Subhash Ghai's multi-starrer Karma and Feroze Khan's Janbaaz. According to CNN-IBN Bollywood Blockbusters, "Sridevi's popularity grew so much that despite having a guest appearance in Janbaaz, she completely overshadowed the film's lead heroine Dimple Kapadia".

1987–1997: Widespread recognition, superstardom and retirement

The dance number 'Hawa Hawai', cited by The Times of India as "one of the unforgettable numbers of Sridevi", also became a popular nickname for the actress. Besides comedy, Sridevi featured in the video for the song "Kaate Nahin Kat Te"; Filmfare described Sridevi as "truly a goddess in a blue sari". Rediff.com also featured the song in its list of 'Top 25 Sari Moments' praising Sridevi's "ability to look erotic even when she's covered from head to toe". Box Office India states that with the success of Mr. India, Sridevi "continued her domination" over her contemporaries Jaya Prada and Meenakshi Sheshadri.

In 1989 came ChaalBaaz, which had Sridevi in a double role, playing twin sisters separated at birth. Filmfare ranked her performance fourth in its list of '80 Iconic Performances of Hindi Cinema', stating that "Sridevi's penchant for giggles and her ability to look distinctly tearful when required polishes these performances to perfection. Hell, she made Sunny Deol and Rajnikant look like sidekicks in the film". The Times of India article 'Bollywood's Hit Double Roles' wrote, "Sridevi's performance rocked the box office". Rediff.com featured the film in its countdown of "25 Best Double Roles in Bollywood" saying "What you don't realise until you have seen Chaalbaaz is just how incredible Sridevi is at depicting both ends of the spectrum", and that the film "cemented her position as an actress with a killer comic timing". Speaking to The Indian Express about Sridevi's act in ChaalBaaz, the director Pankaj Parashar said "She proved her range with the movie and after that she got lots of offers which saw her in a double role". Her slapstick rain dance "Na Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai" became successful with The Times of India describing it as a "Sridevi classic where she simply looked wow with her chirpy expressions and rain drops kissing her cheeks". The film won Sridevi her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Hindi films.

 The same year also saw the release of the Yash Chopra romantic saga Chandni, with Sridevi playing the title role. The film emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters of 1989. Cited by The Times of India as "one of the most watched films of Indian cinema", the film also reaffirmed Sridevi's position as the top female star of the 1980s. While she topped the Hindustan Times' list of Yash Chopra's 'Top 5 Heroines', CNN-IBN also ranked her first on a similar list, saying "Yash Chopra immortalised Sridevi as the perfect Chandni". India Today and NDTV also included her in such lists, stating that the film established Sridevi "as the nation's sweetheart". The Tribune wrote: "Leena Daru scored a winner again when she created the 'Chandni Look' for Sridevi. Every street corner sold the salwar-kameez and dupatta that gave the heroine a refreshingly understated look, rarely seen on the Indian screen", Sridevi's dance number "Mere Hathon Mein Nau Nau Choodiyan" proved also popular with audiences, and she also lent her voice to the film's popular title-track. Sridevi garnered Filmfare Best Actress nominations for both Chandni and ChaalBaaz in 1989, winning with the latter.

Yash Chopra again cast Sridevi in his 1991 film Lamhe. The Times of India included it in its list of 'Top 10 Films of Yash Chopra' describing it as a tale of "love transcending the boundaries of time and space" while Rediff called it "Quite easily one of his most definitive films, Chopra surpassed his own findings of romance with the insightful, lovely Lamhe". Sridevi played both mother and daughter roles in what iDiva described as "another double role, but it was unlike any played before". Hailed by Rediff as "one of the most remarkable films of her career...often considered a film way ahead of its time", Sridevi's folk dance number 'Morni Baga ma' also became a rage and was placed among the 'Top 5 Songs' of Yash Chopra by Hindustan Times. Lamhe failed commercially but received high critical praise and has over the years become a cult classic. Talking about the film, critic Rachel Dwyer wrote in her biography of the film-maker "Yash Chopra's own favourite film, Lamhe ('Moments', 1991), divided the audience on a class basis: it was hugely popular with metropolitan elites and the overseas market, which allowed it to break even, but it had a poor box office response (largely lower class, especially the repeat audience) because of its supposed incest theme". The Hindu reported that "With shades of incest, Lamhe caused more than a flutter and remained the talk of the town", while Sridevi herself admitted in an interview with Rajeev Masand that she found the subject "too bold". Though the film flopped with Rediff describing its failure as "one of those bizarre, unexplained moments of cinema",Lamhe picked up five Filmfare trophies including Filmfare Award for Best Film and Sridevi's second Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her popular Rajasthani costumes in the film also won designer Neeta Lulla her first National Film Award for Best Costume Design.

In 1992, Sridevi starred in the epic Khuda Gawah opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The actress played a double role again as an Afghan warrior Benazir and her daughter Mehendi. Shot mostly in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, it did good business with BBC reporting that "it ran to packed houses for 10 weeks in Kabul". Khuda Gawah still remains popular in Afghanistan and Rediff reported that the film is "in great demand after the re-opening of cinema halls in the country" in 2001. The film picked up the Filmfare Award for Best Director while Sridevi earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. The actress's big budget 1993 release Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja was one of India's most expensive films ever made. Though the film failed at the box office, Sridevi was appreciated with Times of India calling her disguise in a comedy scene "the best ever South Indian role played by any actress".

Sridevi next starred in the 1993 thriller Gumrah, opposite Sanjay Dutt. Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, the actress played a singer falsely accused of drugs smuggling in Hong Kong. Bollyspice stated in its 'Sridevi Retrospective' that "Despite very good performances from the rest of the cast, Gumrah was really Sridevi's film. She managed to exemplify female emotion and robustness to a great degree that you remember the film largely for her significant contribution towards it". Her performance received another nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 1994, Sridevi teamed up with Anil Kapoor again in Laadla playing business tycoon Sheetal Jaitley. The character, described by Times of India as "rude, dominant and very competitive" brought her yet another Filmfare nomination.

She acted in her comeback film in Malayalam in 1996 Bharathan's Devaraagam, a love story in which she starred opposite Aravind Swamy. The last major film Sridevi starred in before she took a break from the industry was Judaai, released in 1997. Along with Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar, the actress played a greedy housewife going to extreme lengths for money. Talking about her swan song, critic Subhash K. Jha wrote that Sridevi "left us with the most stunning hurrah in Judaai. A terrible film that I've watched countless times to see her play the money-minded harridan who 'sells' her husband to Urmila Matondkar. Who but Sridevi could carry of such an outrageous role with such enthusiastic élan?!" while Bollyspice stated that "She used her polished acting skills to illustrate her character’s greed and individualism at such a grotesque level." Judaai won Sridevi her eighth Filmfare nomination for Best Actress, following this she retired from acting

2012–2018: Full comeback and posthumous film appearances

After an eight-year absence from film, Sridevi starred in English Vinglish (2012), a comedy-drama from debutante director Gauri Shinde.The film and Sridevi's performance received positive response.

"Sridevi doesn't miss a beat. Her performance is a triumph", added the critic Anupama Chopra. Komal Nahta said she "makes the best comeback in Bollywood history and delivers a landmark performance."

With the success of English Vinglish, Sridevi became the only actress in Bollywood to make a successful comeback as a leading lady after marriage and a long hiatus.Rediff.com wrote English Vinglish "is a simple film where things are credible, never melodramatic" and Sridevi "always judges the tone right. It's the sort of performance younger actresses [...] should learn from." Sridevi was declared the most-admired Bollywood actress of 2012 in a mobile survey conducted by Vuclip, the world's largest mobile research company. She was nominated for several awards, including her ninth Filmfare Best Actress nomination. Following an appearance during the song "Apna Bombay Talkies" in the film Bombay Talkies (2013), Sridevi starred in the Tamil fantasy action adventure film Puli (2015), which became her last Tamil film before her death in 2018.

Sridevi was next seen in her home production titled Mom (2017), which marked her 300th film. In the thriller film, she played a mother who sets out to avenge the rape of her daughter. Sridevi said that as a mother and an artiste, she empathized with her character's rage, and found it hard to be in a normal state during the filming. Mom was released on 7 July 2017 to generally positive reviews, with critics widely appreciating Sridevi's performance. The Times of India and The Indian Express added Sridevi "demonstrates why she is the high-priestess of Indian cinema" and that she "needs only a twitch or a glance to prove that she is a powerhouse and there are several scenes she lifts by just being there." For her performance, Sridevi received the National Film Award for Best Actress and earned nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and Screen Award for Best Actress.

  Personal life

Sridevi was always accompanied by her mother Rajeshwari or by her sister Srilatha to the film sets during shooting of her films between 1972 and 1994. Sanjay Ramaswamy is married to her sister Srilatha since 1989.

Her father died in 1991, while she was shooting for Lamhe. Her mother died in 1996, as a result of the complications suffered from an operation that she underwent in 1995 on a brain tumor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The neurosurgeon operated on the wrong side of her brain destroying her vital tissues of vision and recent memory. This was widely reported in US media at that time which then led to a successful court battle and prompted then President Bill Clinton’s proposal of a program for hospitals to disclose their medical malpractice and errors.

Sridevi was extremely discreet about her privacy and rarely gave interviews or discussed her private life in them. In the 1980s she was reported to have married actor Mithun Chakraborty, whom she met on the sets of Jaag Utha Insan (1984). In 1996, she married producer Boney Kapoor. The couple had two daughters, Janhvi (born in 1997), who is herself an actress, and Khushi (born in 2000).

Sridevi was brought up as a vegetarian. Despite being known for her portrayals of a strong, vivacious and exuberant woman on-screen, Sridevi was an extremely introverted and reserved person off-screen. CNN-IBN correspondent Rajeev Masand says; "I have never known anyone who was so painfully shy, so quiet off screen, who just transformed into a force of nature when the cameras came on. She was an interviewer’s nightmare, but the movie-buff’s dream". Commenting on her reserved nature, Firstpost says; "Behind the glamourous heroine with twinkling, magical eyes and a stunning face, was an inherently shy woman, often mistaken as arrogant. The truth is she was shy. Having begun to act when she was just 12, she did not complete formal education or get much of a chance to interact with kids of her own age. Consequently, she developed a strong dislike for crowds and noise."

Death and funeral

On 20 February 2018, Sridevi and her youngest daughter Khushi had flown to Al Jazirah Al Hamra in Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, to attend the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah. She decided to spend a couple of days in Dubai to shop for her eldest daughter Janhvi Kapoor's 21st birthday, after the wedding. Her husband Boney Kapoor was not present with them on the wedding day as he had to attend a meeting in Lucknow on 22 February. However he had already planned a surprise visit to his wife, with whom he spoke on the morning of 24 February, when she told him that "Papa (that's how Sridevi addressed Boney), I'm missing you." According to Kapoor, he took a 15:30 flight to Dubai and reached Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel around 18:20 (Dubai time) in room 2201 where the actress was staying. She and Kapoor briefly met and chatted for half an-hour or so. Afterwards they decided to have dinner. Sridevi went to bathe and to get dressed for dinner, while Kapoor waited in a living room. After 15–20 minutes, around 19:00, he called out to the actress as they were getting late but was unable to get a response. Kapoor went to knock on the bathroom door, which had not been locked from inside, and sensed that something was wrong. He opened the door and found the actress completely immersed and unresponsive in the bathtub. It remains unclear whether Sridevi fell unconscious after or before the drowning. He immediately called his friends who were shocked to know that Sridevi had died.

Sridevi was pronounced dead on 24 February 2018 at 07:00 at her hotel room where her husband had found her. At first, it was announced by her brother in-law Sanjay Kapoor to the Indian media that the cause of death was a cardiac arrest, but the investigation to her death began early Sunday morning around 2:30, and the case was transferred to Dubai Public Prosecution by Dubai Police, where General Department of Forensic Evidence, Dubai revealed that the cause of death was "accidental drowning". The toxicology report later also revealed that traces of alcohol were found in her body, and water was found in her lungs.

In a highly exceptional move, the film actress became one of the few people from the Indian entertainment industry to be accorded with full state honours usually reserved only for current and former prime ministers, union and state ministers. Sridevi was included in 2018 In Memoriam section during the 90th Academy Awards ceremony. On the occasion of Sridevi's birthday on 13 August 2019, Madame Tussauds, Singapore has announced that a wax statue would soon be dedicated to her. The statue is a replica of Sridevi's look in the hit Hindi film song, Hawa Hawai from ‘80s film, Mr India. Her daughters, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi, were present at the ceremony accompanied by her husband, producer Boney Kapoor.

 Sridevi is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses of Indian cinema. Priyanka Chopra wrote, "Everyone wanted her and wanted to be like her. She could be childlike, grown up, funny, serious, beguiling, sexy—she was the ultimate actor. She was my childhood, and one of the big reasons I became an actor."

  Special honours

• 1990 – Smita Patil Memorial Award for Contribution to Indian Cinema
• 1997 – Kalasaraswathi Award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh
• 2003 – Lachchu Maharaj Award
• 2003 – Vamsee International Award for Contribution in Indian Cinema
• 2003 – MAMI Award in Contribution to Indian Cinema
• 2008 – FICCI "Living Legend in Entertainment Award"
• 2009 – Special Honour at 33rd Cairo International Film Festival for Contribution to Hindi Cinema
• 2013 – Honoured by Government of Kerala for Contribution to Cinema
• 2013-Ranked number fourth among Bollywood's female actresses and was placed tenth in the overall list in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema '100 Greatest Bollywood Stars' published by British Asian weekly newspaper 'Eastern Eye'.
• 2013 – Voted 'India's Greatest Actress of All Time' in CNN-IBN Poll
• 2013 – President of India 'Medallion of Honour' for contribution to 100 Years of Indian Cinema
• 2014 – Inspiring Icon Award from Sathyabama University, Chennai
• 2018 - Asian Award for Contribution to Cinema
• 2018 - 71st Cannes International Film Festival Titan Reginald F. Lewis Icon Award 
• 2018 - Outstanding Achievement in Cinema at The Asian Awards.
• 2019 - ANR National Award for 2018

Civilian awards

• 1991 – "Order of Afghanistan" for Khuda Gawah
• 2013 – Padma Shri India's fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India