Sridevi was among the few female stars in India who would often outshine their male co-stars.
Sridevi, the Chandni of Bollywood, left a gaping hole in the Indian film industry when she left this world earlier this year. Adding to the tragedy was the fact that she was only 54 and still had a lot to contribute to this world as proven by her last film MOM.
She had been largely inactive in the film industry after the 1990s. But when she did come back, it was in style. In 2012, she starred in English Vinglish, in which she played a woman who is fed up with her husband and daughter mocking her English and wants to learn the language.
Born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, Sridevi was among the few female stars in India who would often outshine their male co-stars.
Even as loved ones and millions of fans in India and around the world remember Sridevi on her birth anniversary today, here is a look at some of her rare photos from the Express Archives.
Sridevi was born in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.
Sridevi was an incredibly versatile actor. She could do both comedy and pathos with perfection.
The government of India honoured Sridevi with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013.
In Bollywood, there is an unfortunate tradition of phasing out older actresses while male actors continue to be the leading men in their late 50s. Sridevi defied this trend and not only starred as the leading lady in MOM, but showed that she was still a crowd-puller.
Sridevi will be seen in a cameo appearance in Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film Zero.
Sridevi also starred in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. In fact, she began her career with Tamil film Thunaivan in 1969.
Sridevi also holds the honour of earning five Filmfare awards.
Sridevi was honoured at the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival this year.
While Sridevi’s most successful co-star was Anil Kapoor, her husband Boney Kapoor produced many of her hit films.
Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi Kapoor made her Bollywood debut this year with Dhadak.