Known as the first 'female superstar' of Hindi cinema, Sridevi was one of the most successful and popular actresses in Bollywood and south Indian film industries. A child prodigy, Sridevi started his journey in the film industry at the age of four with the Tamil film Thunaivan and over the years, in her illustrious career, she starred in more than 300 films in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada languages. The recipient of the coveted Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, and the winner of several awards and accolades, Sridevi ruled the Hindi cinema industry during the 1980s and the 1990s and went on to become the highest-paid actors of the era. The superstar left for the heavenly abode on 25th February 2018 after she suffered a cardiac arrest in Dubai.
Early LifeBorn to a combination of Tamil-Telugu parents Ayyapan and Rajeswari, Sridevi grew up with a sister and two stepbrothers. Her father was a Lawyer. As her acting career took off, Sridevi dropped out of school and focused on acting. Since her father didn't want her to lose out on academics, a tutor was appointed and Sridevi was home-schooled.
Personal LifeSridevi married the notable Bollywood producer,
Boney Kapoor in 1996. The couple has two daughters together - Jhanvi and Khushi, named after two popular characters from Boney Kapoor's films.
Acting careerSridevi was always a part of the acting culture. At a young age of four, she began as a child actor in Tamil movies. Her first performance was in Thunaivan (1969) as Lord Muruga. Her acting skills got better with each of her movies and she soon won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist for Poompatta (1971). She was immediately recognized and appreciated for her performance. Some of her popular performances were in movies like Kandan Karunai (1967), Prarthanai (1970), Babu (1971), and Vasantha Maaliga (1972).
The Hindi film fraternity too noticed her and she debuted in Bollywood at the age of 12; she played the role of Lakshmi's younger sister in the movie Julie (1975). The following year, she bagged her first lead role in the Tamil movie Moondru Mudichu. In the years to come, she gained recognition and worked with big names like
Kamal Haasan and
Rajinikanth.
Sridevi's first lead performance in Hindi films was in the year 1979 with
Solva Sawan. While the movie didn't do very well at the box office, it proved to be lucky for her. The actress later was signed opposite Jitendra in the movie
Himmatwala (1983) which became a blockbuster that year. This movie was a stepping stone to her successful acting career. In the following years, the Sridevi -
Jeetendra pair also became very popular.
In the year 1981, she starred in Meendum Kokila. a Tamil film that won her the Filmfare for Best Actress -Tamil. Another one of her challenging roles was in the Tamil movie
Moondram Pirai (1982), where she played the role of a woman suffering from amnesia. She won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress for this film. Later, the movie was remade in Hindi, titled Sadma. which was listed on iDivas list of 10 Must Watch Movies That Weren't Blockbusters.
In 1984, Sridevi stole the limelight in Bollywood with another hit movie titled '
Tohfa', it was the biggest hit that year. That year Filmfare declared her to be the 'Unquestionably no.1' through their magazine cover. Sridevi played different characters throughout her acting career and she aced them all. Her next was Shekhar Kapur's '
Mr. India' where she played the role of a crime journalist. It also included a Charlie Chaplin imitation that Sridevi did flawlessly and was described by Times of India as "a hilarious act she has ever done". Rediff featured her in the list of 'Super Six Comic Heroines'. As for the many others, her sensuous rain dance performance in the blue saree took their breath away. She also gained the nickname 'Hawa Hawaii' after the other dance number in the movie.
In 1989, Sridevi starred in another blockbuster of her career, Chandni. This
Yash Chopra movie cemented her spot as one of the top actress of Bollywood in the 1980s. Her next collaboration with the Chopra was in the year 1991 with Lamhe.This romantic film was described as transcending boundaries of time and space by Times of India.
Between 1998 and 2011, the audiences saw very little of Sridevi in the form of a few TV show episodes. People yearned to see her do the magic on the big screen again, and she did in the year 2012. The superstar actress returned to acting in movies with
English Vinglish. This
Gauri Shinde film brought Sridevi back to Bollywood, or what the international media liked to call 'Meryl Streep of India.' Times of India rated it 4/5 and called it the best of 2012 films. Sridevi became the only actress worldwide to have such a successful comeback.
In the year 2015, she played the role of a cruel Queen in the Tamil movie Puli. The movie got mixed reviews and did not do well at the box-office. Her 2017 release was the thriller film,
Mom, under the direction of Ravi Udyawar, starring her as one of the leads opposite Akshaye Khanna and Abhimanyu Singh. Mom marked Sridevi's 300th film and also the 50th year of her film career. The movie was also dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.