Sridevi death anniversary: Sadma, Chandni, English Vinglish – 5 movies and roles the actress made iconic

“Me khwabon ki shehezadi, main hoon har dil pe chahyi” perfectly defines the late Sridevi’s film career. The Hawa Hawai girl ruled our hearts for a very long time and left us for her journey to the next world on this very day, last year. Sridevi, the epitome of beauty, grace, poise and elegance in Bollywood, had made her mark with her immense contribution to Indian Cinema since she was a child. The actress in true sense gave her life to films. Whether it was her sizzling moves in Mr.India or her role of an aspiring lady struggling hard to learn English in Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish, the B-town diva made us believe in the magical world she created each time and wowed us with her performances. Today, on the eve of her first death anniversary, let’s talk about some iconic roles that Sridevi had portrayed and will always remain in our hearts .

Nehalata (Sadma):

Talk about her acting caliber and the very first character that will always come to our collective minds is that of Nehalata from the beautiful film Sadma. Sridevi played an autistic lady in the film who regresses into a childlike behaviour after an accident and lands up into brothel to be saved by Kamal Haasan. The dynamic that both of them share and the heart breaking end is the highlight of film. If you are one who hasn’t seen Sadma as yet, then it’s better you do, because it is worth every minute.

Anju and Manju (ChaalBaaz)

Do you remember the song, Na Jane Kaha Se Aai Hain and Sridevi dancing on it wearing a raincoat? Well, that popular number is from ChaalBaaz. Those were the days when doing a film with double roles was considered to be a milestone in an actor’s career. In Chaalbaaz, she played the roles of Anju and Manju, two twin sisters who separated at birth. One grows up to be a shy, high valued girl whereas the other one is a complete badass. Sridevi shined in both the parts and claimed her place as the hero of the film.

Chandni (Chandni):

This was the time when films were majorly dominated by men, well, let’s just accept they still do. Sridevi in an as Chandni made us fall in love with her all over again. Twirling around singing and dancing with Rishi Kapoor on those snow clad mountains is a guilty Bollywood pleasure of many. Turning out to be one of the biggest hits of late Yash Chopra, Chandni was as love triangle that completely belonged to Sridevi courtesy her chirpy, loving portrayal as the female lead. She became a fashion icon with this film as well and her all the Chandi looks are still pretty famous.

Pallavi and Pooja (Lamhe)

Listed amongst the top 100 Bollywood romantic movies at many places, Lamhe added one more film with a double role to Sridevi’s kitty. This time she played a double role with a vast age gap. She played a girl growing up to look just like her mother. So basically she played both mother and daughter onscreen. Sridevi dancing on Morni Baga Ma dolled up in a traditional Rajasthani will always remain a visual delight. Her pairing with Anil Kapoor was a loved, making Lamhe worth watching though back then the story of the film was ahead of its time .

Shashi (English Vinglish):

Let’s just put it out this way, in director Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish, Sridevi voiced those number of ladies embarrassed each day because they lack in some counter. Shashi asking for not too much but some respect from her husband and kids was heartbreaking, but her journey in earning that respect gave thousand others motivation. Gauri’s slice of life film marked Sridevi’s come back on the big screen after a long time. And she made a point that no matter how long the break was, her craft was still intact and no one can ever replace her. We lost a legend last year. She will always be alive between us through her films.