A Goddess

Once, at a prestigious magazine photoshoot, Aamir Khan and Sridevi were to be captured in the same frame. Everything was ready for the shoot. Both had struck their poses. The photo was about to be taken when suddenly the cameraman froze. Sridevi was nearly an inch and a half taller than Aamir, and on top of that, she was wearing high heels.

Everyone on set could sense something was wrong, but no one dared say anything. The cameraman was afraid to voice anything negative, fearing that if 'Devi' took offense and stormed off the set in a fury! Without saying a word, the cameraman gestured something to Sridevi with his eyes. She immediately understood what was happening. Removing her shoes, she struck such a pose with newcomer 'chocolate boy' Aamir that not only was the height difference imperceptible, but the resulting photograph became a hit for the magazine.

When asked about her childhood, she said, "I was extremely shy and solitary. It was very difficult for me to sit in class with so many unfamiliar faces. I avoided crowds. Whenever I saw more than four or five people in a room, I would run and hide under my mother's sari or pretend to read a book to conceal myself."

Yet this same shy person would transform into a ravenous lioness (she was a Leo by zodiac sign too) in front of the camera. As they say, when you're born for something, it shows! Later, in another interview, Sri said, "At that time, I was the only (child) star who had her own makeup person."

Her name was Sri Amma Ayyanger, nicknamed Pappi. Later, it was said that after birth, something red and glowing was visible on her forehead, which led to 'Devi' being added to 'Sri.' And thus began 'Sridevi.'

At just four years old, Devi stepped into the world of acting with the film 'Kandhan Karunai.' Sri's father, being a lawyer himself, had firmly decided to bring his daughter into the same profession later. Like how in our country a barber's son becomes a barber, and his son becomes an even bigger barber—perhaps Sri's simple-minded father thought along similar lines. But when God himself has written lights-camera-action in someone's destiny, how could she become a lawyer!

Despite her father's objections, little Sridevi began her cinematic journey without hesitation, thanks to her mother's enthusiasm. From that time until her death, her mother remained glued to her daughter and her daughter's career like adhesive. Even as a child artist in her first film, she garnered considerable limelight on the poster. And with that very film, she proved that she was not an actress, but a goddess.

Actresses are forced to step aside after a certain age, but goddesses don't have to give up their place. This was proven when, at the 'mere' age of 49, after a long hiatus, she made a comeback with 'English Vinglish'—a film where her performance set critics' hearts ablaze.

When she reached a more mature age, Sridevi said, "My mother showed me pictures of many good Tamil boys. I would just look at them, but nothing would click in my mind. I didn't even have time to think about marriage, with such work pressure! Or perhaps deep down, even among so many handsome men, I wanted to marry for love."

Sridevi was crazy about ice cream and chocolates; she was a Dracula fan, especially devoted to Michael Jackson. The scene in 'English Vinglish' where she dances mimicking Michael Jackson is extraordinary. She was also an ardent devotee of someone else, from whom she learned acting, as she revealed. That person was none other than Charlie Chaplin. In 'Mr. India,' there was a small scene where Sridevi had to mimic Chaplin. That scene turned out so brilliantly that even after shooting for an extended time, the director was reluctant to call cut. How many millions must have dreamed of becoming like Chaplin after watching him—that's impossible to count. I'll talk about Chaplin another time, taking my time. Let me save that for later.

Sri loved to paint and take photographs. Just days before her death, she gave a stunning form to a look from Sonam Kapoor's 'Saawariya' on canvas. Here's an interesting fact. Such a great actress, who worked in five languages across nearly three hundred films, didn't know English well. In an India, especially Mumbai, where English had been treated not as a language but as a skill much earlier, the country's leading actress didn't know English well and lacked confidence even to speak it.

Whenever anyone wanted to criticize Sri, they would first use her lack of English as a weapon. Initially, she couldn't speak Hindi very well either. In many of her films, the dubbing was done by another Bollywood diva, Rekha. Though there were occasionally minor relationship tensions between the two, Sridevi considered Rekha her only friend in the industry. They would exchange letters when apart. During Sridevi's difficult times, Rekha said in an interview, "Give her six months, then see what she becomes!" Rekha was extremely fond of Devi.

The Sridevi-Dharmendra pair created a sensation with the song 'Naino Mein Sapna' from 'Himmatwala.' This very film carved out a separate throne for Sridevi as a heroine in Bollywood.

The song 'Kate Nahin Katate Yeh Din, Yeh Raat' from 'Mr. India' will forever remain on the list of the greatest Hindi romantic songs. The enchanting way she danced with the hero in imagination wearing a blue chiffon sari, the way she beckoned the hero closer while getting drenched in rain—watching her, it seemed as if each part of her body spoke separately through her dance. Yet there was no vulgar display of the body, no obscene gestures.

There's nothing new to say about another hit song from the same film, 'Hawa Hawaii.' I'll just say this: during an audition for the song, Kavita Krishnamurthy just casually sang and recorded 'Hawa Hawaii,' with some lyrics going wrong. Actually, Asha Bhosle was supposed to sing that song. When it was finally decided that Kavita's version would go in the film, Kavita nervously said, "I have some mistakes in the lyrics; I need to redo this song." The music director said, "No need to do anything. People are so mesmerized by Sridevi-ji's dance and expressions in this song that no one even notices those minor mistakes."

It's heard that there was love with Mithun, and they supposedly even married secretly. Rekha was witness to all this. But Mithun was married. Despite Sridevi's extreme stubbornness and various self-destructive decisions, they ultimately couldn't stay together. Later, she was bound in matrimony to director Boney Kapoor (who had liked Sridevi for a long time), once again separating herself from society. The reason was that Boney too was married and the father of two children.

Sridevi was the only actress who was called a superstar like Amitabh at that time—meaning, a Lady Superstar. Amitabh had the courage to suddenly increase his fees at will, and after him, Sridevi also claimed her share of that audacity. She even had the courage to decide not to work with Amitabh after doing two films with him. Can you imagine?

She stunned everyone by participating in a snake film like 'Nagina,' originally plotted with Hema Malini in mind. Yet Hema rejected this film, as did the then heartthrob Jaya Prada. Sridevi became so obsessed with the 'Nagina' film that she couldn't step out of character even when sleeping; she would even see snakes in her dreams!

The person who carried the frustration of not being able to study properly in her youth throughout her life later suffered depression about aging signs on her face. She went under the knife more than 25 times to preserve her youth. Here too, she followed in the footsteps (!) of her guru Jackson.

One Sunday morning brought the death of Marilyn Monroe; another Sunday, the world woke to the news of Princess Diana's death. Again, on such an inauspicious Sunday, Sridevi departed. In her final journey, the people of India bid farewell to their goddess, adorning her as red, resplendent Durga.

Sridevi's death remains a mystery even now. Some say she drowned in a bathtub due to excessive drinking; some say she died from side effects of excessive surgery; whispers suggest that Boney Kapoor himself was involved in Sridevi's death.

I'll end with a popular dialogue from her film 'ChaalBaaz': "Tujhe toh main all-India star banke dikhaaungi" (I'll show you by becoming an all-India star).

Not just India—she departed as an international star. Fifty years of career, films in five languages, over 300 movies...!

Can one walk so far in a single lifetime by being merely an actress? Is this called walking, or flying? Someone on whose back God himself had sewn wings with his own hands—who else could fly like this, except a goddess? And to whom else had God given such wings, except one Sridevi?