The last time I sat in awe looking at Sridevi was in a movie theatre that was playing ‘English Vinglish’. Strutting around the streets of New York in her crisp cotton sarees, she made all of us cry with her emotional speech at the end of the movie. I couldn’t believe she was the same Sridevi who had made us laugh our hearts out with her Charlie Chaplin act, two decades ago when I had first seen ‘Mr India’ as a young child. She was also the same Sridevi who had raised temperatures as she danced to ‘Kaate Nahi Kat Te’ in her blue chiffon saree in the same film.
That was it. Sridevi could be anything. She could be a diva one moment, she could be a goofy entertainer the next.
© Yash Raj Films
© Narsimha Enterprises
Her solid-coloured chiffon sarees found much favour in mainstream cinema, and we saw the likes of Raveena Tandon and Madhuri Dixit setting the screen on fire in numbers like ‘Tip Tip Barsa Pani’ and ‘Dhak Dhak’ respectively. Much of our childhood awakening about the art of seduction happened through these chiffon sarees.
© Narsimha Enterprises
With over 300 films to her credit, Sridevi had built a legacy – she was the country’s first female superstar. She was the female lead who could act, dance, make people laugh and fall in love at the same time. No one else could pack in as much talent and versatility as Sridevi did. From her energetic “Mere hathon mein nau nau choodiya hain” to the seductive “Har Kisi Ko Nahi Milta”, Sridevi was an effortless entertainer and charmer. She was the one who lit the screen.
© Narsimha Enterprises
While her quietly brilliant performance in ‘Sadma’ won her critical acclaim and placed her alongside the likes of serious actors like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, her comic timing in movies like ‘Chaalbaaz’ and ‘Mr India’ made her a people’s favourite.
© Lakshmi Productions
Here was an actress who was not afraid to look silly onscreen, who could contort her face into a hundred comical expressions, who was a refreshing respite from the conventional actress typecast either as a seductress or as a virgin mary. She was Miss Hawa Hawai, she was the unapologetically chirpy sassy female character – the bumbling reporter who managed to stand out in a movie that had a hero who could make himself invisible and a villain who was etched straight out of your craziest nightmare.
© Filmfare
And yet, Sridevi managed to make her presence felt and the song ‘Hawa Hawai’ was immortalised as one of the most iconic moments of the eighties. In striking contrast to this had been her portrayal of a human snake in ‘Nagina’, fighting against the fearsome sapera, played by another class actor Amrish Puri. Her directors remembered her as a humble and diligent actor, one who after a day’s shoot enquired if she could leave for home.
© Narsimha Enterprises
In her films, Sridevi stood her own. In a male-dominated industry, she could overshadow even her male co-stars and was often paid as much as them. She left us too soon, and as the industry tries to grapple with the loss, we think Ms Hawa Hawai will forever remain the “Khwabon ki shehzadi” who ruled the hearts of her fans. Bollywood has lost its chandni.