Tuesday, April 5, 2011

SRIDEVI: The only ONE!!!

I LOVE SRIDEVI!

Lot has been said about this extraordinarily talented actress and am not going to bore you all with the same, rather am here talking about her movies/performances, which are close to my heart.

Lamhe: I think Sridevi’s performance in Lamhe was much superior and mature than any of her other roles. Despite the fact that Lamhe wasn't a box-office hit but that's how it is in show-business.

I can watch this film anywhere anytime. Remember watching it in Manju Theatre in Secunderabad with Kishore was back in 1991!

I prefer Sridevi as the more sober and mature Pallavi from Rajasthan. She was marvelous in Morni song.

I have two favorite moments in Lamhe - the time the younger Pooja is emotionally wounded and walk out of the house in England and the other is the time when told by Anil Kapoor that he was in love with Pallavi, is very touching.

Arguably, Sridevi's finest film and performance, Lamhe was released in 1991 - 20 years ago! Truly a magical film with incredible performances, music, direction, dances, cinematography... oh everything.

The film is close to perfection.

Nagina: Sridevi in Nagina. Magical!

This movie was a ridiculously huge hit in 1986.

A suspense thriller with mythological and superhero (unquestionably Sridevi was the first 'superhero' on Indian screen) tendencies, Sridevi's finale dance number carried the whole masala film.

I was so mesmerized by the film that I sketched out every single imperative scene in my scribble pad (I lost the pad in the floods of 2000 in HyderabadL) and would catch anyone and start narrating the story, songs, scenes…. whether they are engrossed or not. People actually started shunning me! Hahahaha……

Collected some thousand postcards from the film as a souvenir. And considered Sridevi as the real goddess!

This was the film which captivated me to her histrionic acting and beauty and how. Am still obsessed!

Mr india: Sridevi as Seema Sohni living as a paying guest at Anil Kapoor's house and exasperated with the brats who keep harassing her was the most poignant yet comical side of this another fantasy movie.

Without putting anyone down Shekhar Kapoor handled the situation very well. No wonder he was selected to direct as they said he was good with kids (remember Masoom with Kiddo Urmila and Jugal?)

The Charlie Chaplin scenes are my all-time favorite. I'm Chaplin's admirer and it was pleasure watching my other favorite, Sridevi, as Chaplin.

I still remember an interview, way back, of a kid in conflict with his mom to take him to watch Mr India. to which she argues, “ but you have seen it 4 times already” “ I want to watch Sridevi as Seema and Seema as Chaplin, again”! The boy replies. I felt the same way.

Thoroughly enjoyed sridevi being in the Chaplin moustache, baggy trousers and bower hat; the kids acting with her had a whale of a time, too. And, I think, so did we.

The concept of making a film about an invisible man was really novel those days. It took guts to make a big-budget commercial film of it. Not only was it a gamble, it was also a challenge for the producer and for the audiences too.

Besides these three films I adored her in Chandini, Chaalbaaz, Khuda Gawah, Sadma, some telugu films and Judai.

Horror!

In much of Indian cinema, horror as a genre has been reduced to camp, over the top, either too costumy or showing nudity, bad acting and ner...