Sridevi (Tamil: ஸ்ரீதேவி) (born on 13 August 1963) is an Indian actress who has starred in hundreds of Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam language films.
Starting to act at the age of four, she made her debut as an adult in the late 1970s. After going on to establish herself as one of the most successful actresses of the eighties and the initial years of the nineties, she left the industry in 1997 to raise her children.
Family and personal life
Her mother tongue is Tamil.
Career
Sridevi started her career as a child actor in the 1967 Tamil movie Kandhan Karunai playing the role of young Lord Muruga and acted in many Tamil and Telugu movies from then on. Thunaivan was her first movie but released next to Kandhan Karunai. During her early teens, she acted in a number of Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam movies as a lead actress.
In 1976, Sridevi got her first big break as heroine in K. Balachander's Parallel Cinema Moondru Mudichu, where she starred opposite rising stars, Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan. She then followed with a succession of films with both Haasan and Rajnikanth. With the former, she was in movies such as Guru, Sankarlal, Sigappu Rojakkal, Thaayillamal Naan Illai, Meendum Kokila, Vazhvey Maayam, Varumayin Niram Sigappu, Neela Malargal, Moondram Pirai and 16 Vayathinile and with Rajnikanth, she appeared in movies such as Gayathri, Dharma Yuddham, Priya, Johnny, Ranuva Veeran, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Adutha Varisu and Naan Adimai Illai.
At the same time, Sridevi started acting in Telugu movies, a number of which were made by K. Raghavendra Rao. With N. T. Rama Rao, she acted in movies such as Konda Veeti Simham, Vetagadu, Sardar Paparayudu and Bobbili Puli. With A. Nageswara Rao, she appeared in movies such as Mudulla Koduku, Premabhishekham, Bangaru Kanku and Premakanuka. With Krishna, she acted in movies such as Kanchu Kagada, Kalavari Samsaram, Krishnavatharam, Burripalem Bolludu, and Khaidi Rudrayya.
Towards the tail end of her Telugu film career, Sridevi started acting in Hindi movies. Many of these initial movies starred Jeetendra and were remakes of her Telugu movies, mostly directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and K. Bappaiah. In 1978, she starred in her first Hindi film, Solva Saawan. In her second movie, Himmatwala, she starred opposite Jeetendra. The film went on to be a blockbuster and established Sridevi as a star in Bollywood. The Jeetendra Sridevi pair also delivered more hits like Tohfa, Mawaali and Justice Chaudhury. In 1983, she starred opposite Kamal Hasan in the drama Sadma, remade from the Tamil hit Moondram Pirai starring the same lead actors. Her performance as an amnesiac patient won her much critical acclaim.
Her performances in the '80s included Justice Chowdhary, Jaani Dost, Mawaali, Maqsad, Tohfa, Karma, Aakhree Raasta, Jaanbaaz, Ghar Sansar, Nagina, Mr India, Suhagan and Aulad. With Nagina she became the most successful actress of her time. Shekhar Kapur's Mr India became an all-time hit[citation needed] and earned her names like Miss Hawa Hawai. Sridevi also imitated the legendary Charlie Chaplin in a famous sequence in the film. Her rain dance in Mr India is often citedas the most erotic dance number of Bollywood. In 1988's Chaalbaaz, she played a double role as twin sisters which won her the first Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award. The same year, Sridevi also received a nomination for Yash Chopra's blocbuster hit Chandni. The songs and dances of the film became a rage while Sridevi's white costumes started a trend called the Chandni Look in North India. Chopra again directed her in 1991's Lamhe, where she plays a double-role act as mother and daughter. Often called a modern classic, Lamhe won her a second Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award.
Right after, Sridevi starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan in 1992's Khuda Gawah, where she had a double role as a pining Afghan wife getting her another Filmfare nomination.[citation needed] The Telugu film Kshana Kshanam was released in the same year and afforded her another Filmfare Best Actress Award and a Nandi Award for Best Actress.[citation needed] These nominations were followed by another performance as an innocent victim trapped in a Hong Kong prison in Mahesh Bhatt's Gumrah and a negative role in Laadla. For her performance in the 1997 drama Judaai, Sridevi earned her eighth Filmfare nomination.
Since retiring
After a six-year hiatus, Sridevi briefly returned to the small screen in the Sahara sitcom Malini Iyer (2004–2005). She also appeared on Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (2004) for Karisma Kapoor and as a judge in the TV show Kaboom (2005). She performed a medley of some of her musical numbers at the 52nd Filmfare Awards 2007. She was elected a member of the Board of Directors at the Asian Academy of Film & Television.
On September 19, 2009, Sridevi appeared on the famous Sony TV show 10 Ka Dum hosted by Salman Khan. On the episode, she and her husband, Boney Kapoor, were guests, along with actor-director Prabhudeva, actress Ayesha Takia and the musical duo Sajid-Wajid, all of whom had come to promote their film Wanted.Sridevi also developed passion for painting which has since brought her foreign attention. In March 2010, her paintings have been chosen by a reputed international art auction house. The auction was set to start in April 2010, and all the money raised has been donated.
Awards and honours
Filmfare Awards
Won
* 1982 - Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil) for Meendum Kokila
* 1990 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Chaalbaaz
* 1991 - Filmfare Best Actress Award (Telugu) for Kshana Kshanam
* 1992 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Lamhe
Nominations
* 1984 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Sadma
* 1990 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Chandni
* 1992 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Khuda Gawah
* 1993 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Gumrah
* 1994 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Laadla
* 1997 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Judaai
Nandi Awards
Won
* 1991 - Nandi Award for Best Actress for Kshana Kshanam
Honors
* 1997 - "Kalasaraswathi" award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh
* 2003 - "Lachchu Maharaj Award"
* 2008 - FICCI "Living Legend in Entertainment" award
* 2009 - Honoured at Cairo International Film Festival
Starting to act at the age of four, she made her debut as an adult in the late 1970s. After going on to establish herself as one of the most successful actresses of the eighties and the initial years of the nineties, she left the industry in 1997 to raise her children.
Family and personal life
Her mother tongue is Tamil.
Career
Sridevi started her career as a child actor in the 1967 Tamil movie Kandhan Karunai playing the role of young Lord Muruga and acted in many Tamil and Telugu movies from then on. Thunaivan was her first movie but released next to Kandhan Karunai. During her early teens, she acted in a number of Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam movies as a lead actress.
In 1976, Sridevi got her first big break as heroine in K. Balachander's Parallel Cinema Moondru Mudichu, where she starred opposite rising stars, Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan. She then followed with a succession of films with both Haasan and Rajnikanth. With the former, she was in movies such as Guru, Sankarlal, Sigappu Rojakkal, Thaayillamal Naan Illai, Meendum Kokila, Vazhvey Maayam, Varumayin Niram Sigappu, Neela Malargal, Moondram Pirai and 16 Vayathinile and with Rajnikanth, she appeared in movies such as Gayathri, Dharma Yuddham, Priya, Johnny, Ranuva Veeran, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Adutha Varisu and Naan Adimai Illai.
At the same time, Sridevi started acting in Telugu movies, a number of which were made by K. Raghavendra Rao. With N. T. Rama Rao, she acted in movies such as Konda Veeti Simham, Vetagadu, Sardar Paparayudu and Bobbili Puli. With A. Nageswara Rao, she appeared in movies such as Mudulla Koduku, Premabhishekham, Bangaru Kanku and Premakanuka. With Krishna, she acted in movies such as Kanchu Kagada, Kalavari Samsaram, Krishnavatharam, Burripalem Bolludu, and Khaidi Rudrayya.
Towards the tail end of her Telugu film career, Sridevi started acting in Hindi movies. Many of these initial movies starred Jeetendra and were remakes of her Telugu movies, mostly directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and K. Bappaiah. In 1978, she starred in her first Hindi film, Solva Saawan. In her second movie, Himmatwala, she starred opposite Jeetendra. The film went on to be a blockbuster and established Sridevi as a star in Bollywood. The Jeetendra Sridevi pair also delivered more hits like Tohfa, Mawaali and Justice Chaudhury. In 1983, she starred opposite Kamal Hasan in the drama Sadma, remade from the Tamil hit Moondram Pirai starring the same lead actors. Her performance as an amnesiac patient won her much critical acclaim.
Her performances in the '80s included Justice Chowdhary, Jaani Dost, Mawaali, Maqsad, Tohfa, Karma, Aakhree Raasta, Jaanbaaz, Ghar Sansar, Nagina, Mr India, Suhagan and Aulad. With Nagina she became the most successful actress of her time. Shekhar Kapur's Mr India became an all-time hit[citation needed] and earned her names like Miss Hawa Hawai. Sridevi also imitated the legendary Charlie Chaplin in a famous sequence in the film. Her rain dance in Mr India is often citedas the most erotic dance number of Bollywood. In 1988's Chaalbaaz, she played a double role as twin sisters which won her the first Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award. The same year, Sridevi also received a nomination for Yash Chopra's blocbuster hit Chandni. The songs and dances of the film became a rage while Sridevi's white costumes started a trend called the Chandni Look in North India. Chopra again directed her in 1991's Lamhe, where she plays a double-role act as mother and daughter. Often called a modern classic, Lamhe won her a second Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award.
Right after, Sridevi starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan in 1992's Khuda Gawah, where she had a double role as a pining Afghan wife getting her another Filmfare nomination.[citation needed] The Telugu film Kshana Kshanam was released in the same year and afforded her another Filmfare Best Actress Award and a Nandi Award for Best Actress.[citation needed] These nominations were followed by another performance as an innocent victim trapped in a Hong Kong prison in Mahesh Bhatt's Gumrah and a negative role in Laadla. For her performance in the 1997 drama Judaai, Sridevi earned her eighth Filmfare nomination.
Since retiring
After a six-year hiatus, Sridevi briefly returned to the small screen in the Sahara sitcom Malini Iyer (2004–2005). She also appeared on Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (2004) for Karisma Kapoor and as a judge in the TV show Kaboom (2005). She performed a medley of some of her musical numbers at the 52nd Filmfare Awards 2007. She was elected a member of the Board of Directors at the Asian Academy of Film & Television.
On September 19, 2009, Sridevi appeared on the famous Sony TV show 10 Ka Dum hosted by Salman Khan. On the episode, she and her husband, Boney Kapoor, were guests, along with actor-director Prabhudeva, actress Ayesha Takia and the musical duo Sajid-Wajid, all of whom had come to promote their film Wanted.Sridevi also developed passion for painting which has since brought her foreign attention. In March 2010, her paintings have been chosen by a reputed international art auction house. The auction was set to start in April 2010, and all the money raised has been donated.
Awards and honours
Filmfare Awards
Won
* 1982 - Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil) for Meendum Kokila
* 1990 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Chaalbaaz
* 1991 - Filmfare Best Actress Award (Telugu) for Kshana Kshanam
* 1992 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Lamhe
Nominations
* 1984 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Sadma
* 1990 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Chandni
* 1992 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Khuda Gawah
* 1993 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Gumrah
* 1994 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Laadla
* 1997 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Judaai
Nandi Awards
Won
* 1991 - Nandi Award for Best Actress for Kshana Kshanam
Honors
* 1997 - "Kalasaraswathi" award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh
* 2003 - "Lachchu Maharaj Award"
* 2008 - FICCI "Living Legend in Entertainment" award
* 2009 - Honoured at Cairo International Film Festival
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
Sridevi
