Sridevi gained from Rekha, Hema's fading stardom, demanded double role in Khuda Gawah

Her round eyes, glossy lips and rosy cheeks paired with her mesmerising expressions allured millions of hearts. Sridevi made her Bollywood debut with Solva Sawan opposite Amol Palekar in 1979. However, the film didn’t do well and she decided not to continue with Hindi cinema. But her re-entry with Himmatwala in 1983 took people by surprise.

Before Himmatwala she was nicknamed by the press as ‘thunder thighs’, and the name stuck. But it was her effervescent performance in Himmatwala that her caused her glamorous quotient to take over, changing her image overnight and making her a star.

There was no looking back for her from there, and various glamorous roles followed. It was Sadma the same year, which showed us the actress she was. And the media started to praise her for her acting. This made her an actress and a star — the combination of which is lethal — and landed her Mr. India, which changed the history of her career. With this movie, she shot to fame and was considered to be the topmost actress of Bollywood. It was a time when Rekha and Hema Malini were fading, which was to her advantage. The film was followed with Chandni as Sridevi zoomed her way to success.

From movies like Mr. India to Khuda Gawah, there was no competition for her in the industry. She was an actress par excellence, lighting up the screen with a single expression. Though it is said that she faced competition with Madhuri Dixit’s entry into the scene. There was fierce competition but by then she had multiple roles under her belt and it didn’t really dent her career all that much. Be it the dance or theatrics, it never failed to captivate her audience.

Her moves in Hawa Hawai or Mere Hatho Mein were electrifying on the screen. Her two qualities — dance and powerful acting — coupled with her beauty took her stardom to dizzying heights.

Delivering success after success, she went on to work with Amitabh Bachchan in many films and one can’t get bigger than this in Bollywood. Apprehensive of the fact that Bachchan in Khuda Gawah would overshadow her, she demanded a double role. She insisted that she would do the film only if she got both the roles.

And her performance was commendable, and as a result she walked away with a Filmfare award.

Then she married Boney Kapoor and settled with two beautiful daughters. In 2012 we were lucky enough to see her dramatic comeback film English Vinglish. It was a graceful performance worth remembering. It was a moment when she was making a comeback on her own and tragedy struck.