Sridevi left a blazing trail in Bollywood where she wowed audiences and critics with excellent performances in several films that made her a legend. Sadly, Sridevi broke a million hearts when she died last year on February 24. The actress was born on August 13, 1963, and worked in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films.
Here are a list of her iconic roles and memorable films as we remember the legend on her Birth anniversary.
Sadma: Undoubtedly her best performance ever, the film has Sridevi playing a young woman who becomes autistic after an accident. With Kamal Haasan also in his perfect form, this film is a must watch for true lovers of cinema.
Delightfully childlike as someone suffering from retrograde amnesia in Sadma, Sridevi made us want to join Kamal Haasan in singing her lullabies.
Himmatwala: The highest grosser of 1983, this flick, which also starred Jeetendra, was an action drama and brought Sridevi superstardom. The Nainon Me Sapna song is popular even today. The film was later remade by Sajid Khan with Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah Bhatia.
Tohfa: A love triangle also featuring Jeetendra and Jaya Prada, this was yet another in the series of south Indian remakes featuring Sridevi. Both Jaya and Sridevi play sisters who fall in love with Jeetendra. Tohfa too was a box office hit. The Ek Aankh Marun Toh song from the film is still favourite with today’s remixes genre.
Nagina: Sridevi plays the snake woman, and does so without looking over the top. The film, with Rishi Kapoor as the hero, was the highest grosser of 1986 and elevated the actress’ status even further. Main Teri Dushman, Dushman Tu Mera is among the most famous ‘snake songs’ in Bollywood.
Mr. India: Although Anil Kapoor was the star of this Shekhar Kapur film, Sridevi’s performance as a journalist made the film even more memorable. Be it the Hawa Hawai song, her hilarious runs in with her editor Annu Kapoor or her bitter-sweet chemistry with the little kids in the film, Mr. India is incomplete without Sridevi. And we haven’t even mentioned the ‘I Love You’ song.
Chandni: This love triangle had Sridevi romancing two aging heroes, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna. The songs of the film were a massive hit and her white costume became a craze. The film managed to prolong the careers of Kapoor and Khanna as lead heroes, and a lot of credit for the same goes to Sridevi’s wonderful performance.
ChaalBaaz: The versatility of Sridevi came to the fore in this hilarious comedy that had her playing a double role. Sridevi played Anju — who can be harassed without resistance — and Manju — a fearless girl — with the same amount of conviction.
Lamhe: Although the film tanked at the box office, this Yash Chopra film is regarded as one of Sridevi’s finest performances. In another double role, she plays both mother and daughter, and Anil Kapoor falls in love with both the characters over the course of the film.
The rustic Rajasthani mother and the young vivacious daughter, both in love with the same man. Her double act in Lamhe was nearly perfect.
Khuda Gawah: One of Amitabh’s few memorable performances in the 90’s, the lavishly shot film had a royal feel, with Sridevi playing the suffering wife of Big B, who is jailed. At the box-office, the film got average returns.
Army: Sridevi proved her mettle in the action genre in the 1996 film Army in which she starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Her character as a woman who avenges the murder of her husband (played by Khan) was praised by fans and critics alike.
Judaai: In this film before her hiatus, she plays the greedy wife, who sells her husband (Anil Kapoor) to Urmila Matondkar in return for money, only to regret it. Following the film, Sridevi disappeared from the scene to take care of her family.
English Vinglish: After a sabbatical of 15 years, she won hands down again with her portrayal of a woman set on learning the Queen’s language in English Vinglish (2012).
Mom: Sridevi’s 300th and the final film appearance, Mom, which released in 2017 saw her share screen with Akshaye Khanna and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. She essays a vigilante who seeks revenge against the men who raped her daughter.
Her performance was lauded by fans and critics, and the film went on to become a critical and commercial success.
