The legacy of legendary Indian actress Sridevi is set to be revisited with an upcoming biopic, after Priyanka Chopra shared its first look and reignited conversations about the late icon’s extraordinary career.

Sridevi began her journey as a child artist at just four years old and went on to become one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated stars. She worked across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi cinema, eventually becoming widely regarded as one of India’s first female superstars.

From blockbuster successes in the 1980s and 1990s to her acclaimed comeback in English Vinglish, Sridevi demonstrated her extraordinary range and ability to connect with multiple generations of audiences.

She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013 for her contribution to Indian cinema and later delivered a powerful performance in Mom, her 300th film, for which she was posthumously awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress.

Sridevi’s sudden death in Dubai in February 2018 shocked the film industry and millions of fans worldwide. Her influence continues through her films, books about her life and the careers of her daughters, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor.

Sridevi Biopic Creates Buzz | Priyanka Chopra Highlights The Legacy Of A Cinema Icon

<p>Cinema will never be the same again. The exuberance and the innocence that Sridevi got to her roles will never be there again. She was the first female superstar of Bollywood, and a trailblazer, who inspired many of the contemporary actresses. She was the reason why many took up filmmaking just in the hope that one day she would work with them. Bollywood will never be same without her.</p>

<p>Born in Tamil Nadu&rsquo;s Sivakasi on August 13, 1963, Sridevi perhaps only understood the language of cinema as she made her foray into acting at the tender age of four. She first appeared in a film called <em>Thunaivan</em> where she played Lord Muruga. Conversant in both Tamil and Telugu languages, Sridevi in the 1960s and early 1970s acted in films in both these languages as a child artiste. In fact, in 1975, she was also part of Julie where she played the sister to the main protagonist.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Heartfelt tribute to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> . One of the most accomplished actress of Indian Cinema. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> <a href="https://t.co/STMZI1XtL2">pic.twitter.com/STMZI1XtL2</a></p>
&mdash; NFAI (@NFAIOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFAIOfficial/status/967579880006197248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Her first adult role came a year later, in 1976 in a film called <em>Moondru Mudichu</em> and co-starred Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. She was 13 then. She eventually went on to do a number of films with these two actors and trio dominated Tamil cinema in the 1970s- early 80s.</p>

<p>Her Bollywood debut in 1979 in a film called<em> Solva Saal </em>may have gone unnoticed but she made everyone sit up and take notice of her when four years later, she starred opposite Jeetendra in <em>Himmatwala</em>. A major blockbuster, people suddenly woke up to Sridevi and lauded her dancing skills. Sridevi and Jeetendra were a hit pair post the success of Himmatwala and went on to feature in several films together including Tohfa, Mawaali, Maqsad. In fact, the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-sridevi-best-songs-playlist-33977">song<em> Naino Mein Sapna</em> from <em>Himmatwala</em> became a cult song and is revered till date.</a></p>

<p>While Sridevi continued to feature in commercial cinema- most of them had her in glamorous avatar- the actress stunned critics and fans alike in a role that was career defining. In Balu Mahendra&rsquo;s <em>Sadma</em> (originally made in Tamil <em>Moondram Pirai</em>) Sridevi played a child-woman diagnosed with retrograde amnesia who is nurtured back to health and normalcy by a do-gooder Somu played by Kamal Haasan. Perhaps one of the most poignant love-stories in modern day cinema, it had remarkable performances by both the actors. A difficult role to play, Sridevi swelled as Nehalata and won the Best Actress Filmfare Award for the pitch-perfect portrayal of a child-woman for that role. It remains one of the best roles of her career.</p>

<p>She was a trendsetter. Whether it came to the kind of roles she chose to work in, the money that demanded at the peak of her career, or the way she chose to settle down with a much married Boney Kapoor at the peak of her career, everything made headlines. Some of her work inspired actors in later years, some ruthlessly copied her style and some dedicated their performances and films to her. Her personal life made headlines and raised eyebrows - she was reportedly pregnant with her first child Jahnvi when she married Boney Kapoor in a secret ceremony- but Sridevi set her own rules and lived by them.</p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMpHZY1BN46/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">????????</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sridevi.kapoor/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Sridevi Kapoor</a> (@sridevi.kapoor) on <time datetime="2016-11-10T20:06:28+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Nov 10, 2016 at 12:06pm PST</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMpCAUZBc9R/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Happy Birthday, my strength and my best friend ❤️ love you always</a></p>

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<p>She took a break at the peak of her career when she got married and had her daughter Jahnvi. In 2012, after nearly two decades of staying away from the arclights, Sridevi made a comeback in English Vinglish and reinstated our love for her. As the under-confident Shashi who secretly learns English to earn the respect of her family, Sridevi won hearts one more time with her beautiful performance. She was last seen in Mom in 2017.</p>

<p><em>Chandni, Lamhe, </em><em>Mr</em><em> India, Chaalbaaz, Judaai </em>are some of the blockbusters that Sridevi was part of. The actress was honoured with Padmashri in 2013 and had won 6 Filmfare awards.</p>

<p>She had shot for a cameo appearance in SRK&#39;s Zero-which will now be the last screen outing of the legend.</p>

<p>Married to producer Boney Kapoor, the couple has two daughters- Janhvi and Khushi. Janhvi will be making her debut in Dhadak later this year.</p>

<p>The star has gone too soon and Bollywood has lost it&#39;s <em>Chandni.</em></p>


A trailblazer, Sridevi inspired an entire generation of actors with her body of work.

Cinema will never be the same again. The exuberance and the innocence that Sridevi got to her roles will never be there again. She was the first female superstar of Bollywood, and a trailblazer, who inspired many of the contemporary actresses. She was the reason why many took up filmmaking just in the hope that one day she would work with them. Bollywood will never be same without her. Born in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi on August 13, 1963, Sridevi perhaps only understood the language of cinema as she made her foray into acting at the tender age of four. She first appeared in a film called Thunaivan where she played Lord Muruga. Conversant in both Tamil and Telugu languages, Sridevi in the 1960s and early 1970s acted in films in both these languages as a child artiste. In fact, in 1975, she was also part of Julie where she played the sister to the main protagonist. Heartfelt tribute to #Sridevi . One of the most accomplished actress of Indian Cinema. #RIP pic.twitter.com/STMZI1XtL2 — NFAI (@NFAIOfficial) February 25, 2018 × Her first adult role came a year later, in 1976 in a film called Moondru Mudichu and co-starred Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. She was 13 then. She eventually went on to do a number of films with these two actors and trio dominated Tamil cinema in the 1970s- early 80s. Her Bollywood debut in 1979 in a film called Solva Saal may have gone unnoticed but she made everyone sit up and take notice of her when four years later, she starred opposite Jeetendra in Himmatwala. A major blockbuster, people suddenly woke up to Sridevi and lauded her dancing skills. Sridevi and Jeetendra were a hit pair post the success of Himmatwala and went on to feature in several films together including Tohfa, Mawaali, Maqsad. In fact, the song Naino Mein Sapna from Himmatwala became a cult song and is revered till date. While Sridevi continued to feature in commercial cinema- most of them had her in glamorous avatar- the actress stunned critics and fans alike in a role that was career defining. In Balu Mahendra’s Sadma (originally made in Tamil Moondram Pirai) Sridevi played a child-woman diagnosed with retrograde amnesia who is nurtured back to health and normalcy by a do-gooder Somu played by Kamal Haasan. Perhaps one of the most poignant love-stories in modern day cinema, it had remarkable performances by both the actors. A difficult role to play, Sridevi swelled as Nehalata and won the Best Actress Filmfare Award for the pitch-perfect portrayal of a child-woman for that role. It remains one of the best roles of her career. She was a trendsetter. Whether it came to the kind of roles she chose to work in, the money that demanded at the peak of her career, or the way she chose to settle down with a much married Boney Kapoor at the peak of her career, everything made headlines. Some of her work inspired actors in later years, some ruthlessly copied her style and some dedicated their performances and films to her. Her personal life made headlines and raised eyebrows - she was reportedly pregnant with her first child Jahnvi when she married Boney Kapoor in a secret ceremony- but Sridevi set her own rules and lived by them. ???????? A post shared by Sridevi Kapoor (@sridevi.kapoor) on Nov 10, 2016 at 12:06pm PST × Happy Birthday, my strength and my best friend ❤️ love you always A post shared by Sridevi Kapoor (@sridevi.kapoor) on Nov 10, 2016 at 11:19am PST × She took a break at the peak of her career when she got married and had her daughter Jahnvi. In 2012, after nearly two decades of staying away from the arclights, Sridevi made a comeback in English Vinglish and reinstated our love for her. As the under-confident Shashi who secretly learns English to earn the respect of her family, Sridevi won hearts one more time with her beautiful performance. She was last seen in Mom in 2017. Chandni, Lamhe, Mr India, Chaalbaaz, Judaai are some of the blockbusters that Sridevi was part of. The actress was honoured with Padmashri in 2013 and had won 6 Filmfare awards. She had shot for a cameo appearance in SRK's Zero-which will now be the last screen outing of the legend. Married to producer Boney Kapoor, the couple has two daughters- Janhvi and Khushi. Janhvi will be making her debut in Dhadak later this year. The star has gone too soon and Bollywood has lost it's Chandni.

Remembering Sridevi (1963-2018): Bollywood's 'Chandni' gone too soon

<p>Those expressive eyes and the mischievous smile sent hearts aquiver and lit up the cinema screens, making <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-sridevi-best-songs-playlist-33977" target="_blank">Sridevi Bollywood&#39;s first female superstar</a>.</p>

<p>Sridevi&#39;s sudden death at the age of 54 in Dubai due to cardiac arrest yesterday has left family and fans in shock and grief. This <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sridevi-1963-2018-bollywoods-chandni-gone-too-soon-33963" target="_blank">&#39;Chandni&#39; left the world too soon</a>.</p>

<p>The actor, the wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late at Saturday night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-sridevis-last-public-appearance-at-nephew-mohit-marwas-wedding-33973" target="_blank">Mohit Marwah&#39;s wedding</a>.</p>

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<p>The actress who was in Dubai for a family function reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest. (Image: Sridevi/Instagram) (Instagram)</p>
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<p>In&nbsp;an impressive career, spanning five decades, the actor ruled the commercial cinema space in the &#39;80s and &#39;90s like no heroine had done before.</p>

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<p>File photos of Sridevi. (WION Web Team)</p>
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<p>In an industry dominated by male superstars, Sridevi reversed the trend by her sheer acting prowess. Her name, most of the times, was a guarantee enough for a film&#39;s success.</p>

<p>An extremely shy person in real life, Sridevi came alive in front of the cameras, playing a variety of roles. Such was her popularity that her style and dance moves would be copied by her fans country over. She was &#39;Miss Hawa Hawaii&#39; and &#39;Chandni&#39; for them. Sridevi started acting at the age of four and made her debut with M A Thirumugham&#39;s &quot;Thunaivan&quot;. She continued acting in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films but it was her career in Bollywood that made her a household name in the country.</p>

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<p>Sridevi in a still from Chandni. (Others)</p>
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<p>She made her Bollywood debut as a child artiste in 1975 hit &quot;Julie&quot; but continued ruling the South Indian film industry where she established herself as a leading heroine with films such as &quot;16 Vayathinile&quot;, &quot;Sigappu Rojakkal&quot;, &quot;Meendum Kokila&quot; and &quot;Moondram Pirai&quot;.</p>

<p>In Bollywood, she made her debut in 1978 as a lead actor in &quot;Solva Sawan&quot;.</p>

<p>She gained commercial success with the 1983 film &quot;Himmatwala&quot; opposite Jeetendra, which also established her as one of the best dancers in cinema. She was grace-personified dressed as an apsara (a celestial beauty in Hindu mythology) performing on the hit track &#39;Nainon Mein Sapna&#39;.</p>

<p>The year 1983 also saw Sridevi give stellar performances in both critically acclaimed and box-office hits such as &quot;Sadma&quot;, where she played the role of a woman who loses her memory.</p>

<p>Both she and actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan played the roles in the Hindi remake of their 1982 Tamil movie, &quot;Moondram Pirai&quot;. The climax of the heart-wrenching movie was deemed as poetic as the entire plot, with the song &#39;Ae zindagi gale laga le&#39; as an ode to the philosophy of uncertainty in life.</p>

<p>Sridevi followed it up with a number of commercial hits such as &quot;Mawaali&quot;, &quot;Tohfa&quot;, &quot;Masterji&quot; and &quot;Nazrana&quot;.</p>

<p>In 1987 came Shekhar Kapur&#39;s &quot;Mr India&quot;, a film which was produced by her future husband Boney Kapoor.</p>

<p>Sridevi gave a memorable performance as crime reporter Seema Sohni. She was one of the few female actors who left the audience spellbound with both her comic timing and sensuality.</p>

<p>How her undercover scribe transformed into Ms Hawa Hawaaii, thanks to her dancing skills in one of the popular songs, is one of the most memorable scenes of the film.</p>

<p>Owing to the cult status the song went on to achieve, the Kavita Krishnamurthy number has been recreated a number of times in films such as &quot;Shaitan&quot; and most recently in Vidya Balan&#39;s &quot;Tumhari Sulu&quot;.</p>

<p>And so will &#39;Kaate nahi kat-te&#39;, an iconic sultry number which saw the actor romance an invisible man in a song revelling in a never-before-seen boldness and fantasy.</p>

<p>Filmmaker Yash Chopra cast her in the title role of &quot;Chandni&quot; in the 1989 film, another iconic film of her career. Such was her performance in the film that fans came to recognise her with the name of Chandni.</p>

<p>Impressed with her performance in the film, Chopra cast her again in &quot;Lamhe&quot; in a dual role, where she played the mother and the daughter.</p>

<p>It did not do well at the box office at that time but has come to be known one the best films of Sridevi, Chopra and Anil Kapoor&#39;s careers. The film was said to be ahead of its times as it dealt with a woman falling for an older man who is in love with her dead mother.<br />
Her other major box office hits of the era were &quot;Chaalbaaz&quot;, where she played the role of twins, &quot;Nagina&quot;, and &quot;Khuda Gawah&quot; opposite Amitabh Bachchan.</p>

<p>Her pairing with Anil Kapoor, her &quot;Mr India&quot; co-star and brother-in-law, was particularly successful and she would work with him again in &quot;Laadla&quot; and &quot;Judaai&quot;.</p>

<p>After &quot;Judaai&quot;, Sridevi took a break from acting to focus on her marriage with Boney Kapoor. She had two daughters -- Janhvi and Khushi -- with Kapoor.</p>

<p>The actor made a successful comeback to cinema 15 years later with Gauri Shinde&#39;s &quot;English Vinglish&quot;, playing a housewife who learns English after feeling left out in her family.</p>

<p>She also had a starring role in Tamil film &quot;Puli&quot; and followed &quot;English Vinglish&quot; with another successful outing in &quot;Mom&quot;, which also featured Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna.</p>

<p>The actor&#39;s elder daughter Janhvi is on the cusp of her own cinematic journey with &quot;Dhadak&quot;, a remake of the Marathi blockbuster &quot;Sairat&quot;. Unfortunately, Sridevi will not be there to witness it.</p>


A trailblazer, Sridevi inspired an entire generation of actors with her body of work

Those expressive eyes and the mischievous smile sent hearts aquiver and lit up the cinema screens, making Sridevi Bollywood's first female superstar. Sridevi's sudden death at the age of 54 in Dubai due to cardiac arrest yesterday has left family and fans in shock and grief. This 'Chandni' left the world too soon. The actor, the wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late at Saturday night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. The actress who was in Dubai for a family function reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest. (Image: Sridevi/Instagram) (Instagram) × In an impressive career, spanning five decades, the actor ruled the commercial cinema space in the '80s and '90s like no heroine had done before. File photos of Sridevi. (WION Web Team) × In an industry dominated by male superstars, Sridevi reversed the trend by her sheer acting prowess. Her name, most of the times, was a guarantee enough for a film's success. An extremely shy person in real life, Sridevi came alive in front of the cameras, playing a variety of roles. Such was her popularity that her style and dance moves would be copied by her fans country over. She was 'Miss Hawa Hawaii' and 'Chandni' for them. Sridevi started acting at the age of four and made her debut with M A Thirumugham's "Thunaivan". She continued acting in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films but it was her career in Bollywood that made her a household name in the country. Sridevi in a still from Chandni. (Others) × She made her Bollywood debut as a child artiste in 1975 hit "Julie" but continued ruling the South Indian film industry where she established herself as a leading heroine with films such as "16 Vayathinile", "Sigappu Rojakkal", "Meendum Kokila" and "Moondram Pirai". In Bollywood, she made her debut in 1978 as a lead actor in "Solva Sawan". She gained commercial success with the 1983 film "Himmatwala" opposite Jeetendra, which also established her as one of the best dancers in cinema. She was grace-personified dressed as an apsara (a celestial beauty in Hindu mythology) performing on the hit track 'Nainon Mein Sapna'. The year 1983 also saw Sridevi give stellar performances in both critically acclaimed and box-office hits such as "Sadma", where she played the role of a woman who loses her memory. Both she and actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan played the roles in the Hindi remake of their 1982 Tamil movie, "Moondram Pirai". The climax of the heart-wrenching movie was deemed as poetic as the entire plot, with the song 'Ae zindagi gale laga le' as an ode to the philosophy of uncertainty in life. Sridevi followed it up with a number of commercial hits such as "Mawaali", "Tohfa", "Masterji" and "Nazrana". In 1987 came Shekhar Kapur's "Mr India", a film which was produced by her future husband Boney Kapoor. Sridevi gave a memorable performance as crime reporter Seema Sohni. She was one of the few female actors who left the audience spellbound with both her comic timing and sensuality. How her undercover scribe transformed into Ms Hawa Hawaaii, thanks to her dancing skills in one of the popular songs, is one of the most memorable scenes of the film. Owing to the cult status the song went on to achieve, the Kavita Krishnamurthy number has been recreated a number of times in films such as "Shaitan" and most recently in Vidya Balan's "Tumhari Sulu". And so will 'Kaate nahi kat-te', an iconic sultry number which saw the actor romance an invisible man in a song revelling in a never-before-seen boldness and fantasy. Filmmaker Yash Chopra cast her in the title role of "Chandni" in the 1989 film, another iconic film of her career. Such was her performance in the film that fans came to recognise her with the name of Chandni. Impressed with her performance in the film, Chopra cast her again in "Lamhe" in a dual role, where she played the mother and the daughter. It did not do well at the box office at that time but has come to be known one the best films of Sridevi, Chopra and Anil Kapoor's careers. The film was said to be ahead of its times as it dealt with a woman falling for an older man who is in love with her dead mother. Her other major box office hits of the era were "Chaalbaaz", where she played the role of twins, "Nagina", and "Khuda Gawah" opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Her pairing with Anil Kapoor, her "Mr India" co-star and brother-in-law, was particularly successful and she would work with him again in "Laadla" and "Judaai". After "Judaai", Sridevi took a break from acting to focus on her marriage with Boney Kapoor. She had two daughters -- Janhvi and Khushi -- with Kapoor. The actor made a successful comeback to cinema 15 years later with Gauri Shinde's "English Vinglish", playing a housewife who learns English after feeling left out in her family. She also had a starring role in Tamil film "Puli" and followed "English Vinglish" with another successful outing in "Mom", which also featured Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. The actor's elder daughter Janhvi is on the cusp of her own cinematic journey with "Dhadak", a remake of the Marathi blockbuster "Sairat". Unfortunately, Sridevi will not be there to witness it.

Sridevi: The diva who lit up Indian cinema screen

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Sridevi: The diva who lit up Indian cinema screen