Sridevi was a popular Indian actress. She was born on 13 August 1963 in Meenampatti village in Tamil Nadu. She died on 24 February 2018. Her father’s name was Ayyapan Yanger, and her mother’s name was Rajeswari Yanger. 

She was married to Boney Kapoor. The couple’s daughters, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor are both actresses. 

Sridevi’s favourites

Her hobbies were painting and dancing. 

She loved eating strawberries. 

Her favourite actors were Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, and Shah Rukh Khan. 

Kanjivaram sarees were Sridevi’s favourite Indian attire. 

Interesting facts about Sridevi

Sridevi made her first on-screen appearance as a child actor in the 1967 Tamil film ‘Thunaivan.’

In the year 1971, she won the Kerala State Film Award for her performance as a child actor in the Malayalam film ‘Poombatta.’

She appeared in the 1975 Hindi film ‘Julie’ as a child actor. 

Sridevi’s lead role

In the year 1978, Sridevi made her Bollywood film debut as a lead actress in the film ‘Solvaan Sawan.’

Sridevi was a versatile actress and she worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada film industries.  

She never received professional training in classical dance forms and yet she was counted in one of the finest dancers of Bollywood film industries. 

Sridevi’s legacy

Sridevi worked in 16 films with the actor Jeetendra. 

Sridevi’s on-screen pairing with Kamal Haasan was immensely loved by the audience. 

Her performance in the 1980 Tamil film ‘Varamayin Niram Sippu’ alongside Kamal Haasan was praised by the critics. 

Sridevi’s 1982 Tamil film ‘Mandraram Pirai’ was an influential film of the time. She gained immense popularity for her role. A Hindi remake of the film titled ‘Sadma’ was released in the year 1983. Sridevi played the role of a patient suffering from the illness of amnesia. The sensitive representation of the character was widely loved by the audience. 

In the year 1983, Sridevi was seen in the superhit film ‘Himmatwala’ alongside actor Jeetendra. 

Sridevi as Chandni

Yash Chopra’s 1989 film ‘Chandni’ was a major hit at the box office. More than her screen name, people started recognizing Sridevi with her character of Chandni. 

The same year, the film won the National Award for Best Popular Film. 

Sridevi’s 1993 film ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ was one of the most expensive films of the time. However, the film proved to be a flop at the box office. 

Sridevi in 'English Vinglish'

After several years of break from acting, Sridevi made her comeback in the year 2012 with the film ‘English Vinglish.’ The film was a success and was declared as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. 

According to some reports, Sridevi was offered a role in Steven Spielberg’s franchise film ‘Jurassic Park.’ However, Sridevi declined the offer as it was only a minor role.  

Sridevi was found dead in her hotel room in Jumeirah Emirates Tower, Dubai, on 24 February 2018. The cause of her death was stated as accidental drowning.

Awards

Sridevi won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her double role in the film ‘Chaalbaaz.’

She has been honoured with Filmfare Best Actress Awards for the films Memendam Kokila, Kshana Kshanam, Lamhe, etc.

In the year 2013, she received the Filmfare Special Award for the films Nagina and Mr India. 

Sridevi was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri Award by the Government of India 2013. 

Sridevi’s filmography

Sridevi’s most popular films are Himmatwala (1983), Aulad (1987), Maqsa (1984), Heer Ranjha (1992), Tohfa (1984), Janbaz (1986), Gair Kanooni (1989), Karma (1986), Farishtay (1991), Guru (1989), Banjaran (1991), Lamhe (1991), Laadla (1994), Khuda Gawah (1992), ChaalBaaz (1989), Judaai (1997), Mr India (1987), Nagina (1986), and many more.