New Delhi: Born on August 13, 1963, the queen bee of Bollywood - Sridevi has added yet another year to her already legendry life. As she turns a year older we take you through her envious cinematic journey, which is full of all the ingredients of a Bollywood film. She started acting at the age of four, and made her debut as an adult in the early 80s. She went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses of her time. Although she left the industry in 1997, she is regarded by the industry members as one of the most talented and prominent actresses of India. Sridevi is a rare combination of talent, beauty, star power, hits and dance. She is the most successful actor in regional cinema also! After doing numerous movies down south, she then established her threshold in Bollywood with her debut, Sulwa Sawan, which bombed at the box office, but the southern siren impressed many with her impeccable looks, child like voice and innocent demure. However, her second movie, Himmatwala, went on to be a big success and established her status in Bollywood. The film also earned her the famous nickname Thunder Thighs. The film made Jeetendra and Sridevi a popular pair with the audiences and the duo went on to star in several hits like Tohfa, Mawaali and Justice Chaudhry. In 1983, Sridevi starred opposite Kamal Hasan in the critically acclaimed drama Sadma, which is often cited by critics as the most definitive child-woman performance of Sridevi's career. The film earned Sridevi her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. In 1984 Sridevi ventured into art film Jaag Utha Insan starring opposite Mithun Chakraborty; the film did not succeed at the box office but received some critical recognition. Shekhar Kapur's blockbuster hit Mr. India in 1987 won rave reviews and her comic-timing was praised. Prominent sequences in the film are Sridevi's imitation of Charlie Chaplin and her rain-dance. The film also won her nicknames like "Hawa Hawai", the name of a popular song in the film, and "Miss India". In 1986, the fantasy film “Nagina” gave her a rise and helped her acquire the desired superstar status in Bollywood. But she won millions of hearts in Yash Chopra's The same year brought Yash Chopra's poetic fairy-tale blockbuster, ‘Chandni', the story of how love takes the lives of three people and weaves them together - softly lyrical, throbbingly beautiful and filled with the sound of three hearts hopelessly in love. Her next flick, “Chaalbaaz”was given the honour of being counted in the Filmfare Magazine for 80 Iconic Performances of the Year, which was bestowed with the fourth position. By now she was the reigning queen of the tinsel ville and even the scripts were written and roles thought keeping her in mind. In the 1990's she worked under the banner of Yashraj Films again in their aspiring film “Lamhe” for which she won critical appreciation internationally and it won the Filmfare Best Film Award. She was also paired opposite Amitabh Bachchan in film “Khuda Gawaah” which won her a Filmfare nomination for her dual mother-daughter role. Her pairing opposite her borther-in-law Anil kapoor was one of the most successful pairings in the fraternity, having fiven hits like ‘Laadla', Roop Ki Raani Choro Ka raja, Lamhe, Mr India and Judai. In Judai, Sri brought her quirky charm to the character of money-hungry Kajal, who trades off her husband for a fortune. Sridevi after Judai married film producer Boney Kapoor on June 2, 1996. Boney and his first wife Mona Kapoor had accommodated Sridevi in their home during Sridevi's stay in Mumbai. At that time Boney and Mona had been married for several years and had two children Arjun and Anshula. Mona Kapoor stayed in Boney Kapoor's parent's home for 10 years after the divorce to give her children a sense of family. Boney Kapoor and Sridevi have two daughters: Jhanvi and Khushi After a fifteen year long sabbatical, the glamour queen of Bollywood- Sridevi announced her comeback in 2011 with her new film “English Vinglish” under Gauri Shinde's direction. The movie received huge critical acclaim and commercial success. Sridevi is one of those rare actresses who made a successful comeback after taking a self imposed break of more than a decade.
Updated on: August 13, 2013 6:06 IST
