The Last Empress

So, two noteworthy news came out of this week, Republicans finally found there Presidential nominee in Mitt Romney and Standard & Poor's on Wednesday downgraded India's credit outlook to negative but maintained India's rating at BBB-. But today I am taking a little detour from the real world issues of Economics & Current affairs to the fantasies of the Indian celluloid.  

            My all-time favorite movie is Lamhe (Moments) and the stars that starred in it.

            The ‘most versatile of Indian actors’, the ‘original Munna’, the ‘Hairy man’, the ‘only’ Main stream Hollywood Star of India, Mr. Anil Kapoor. (I know many of you might give me a sarcastic laugh!!). And the subject of my blog today, ‘The Lady Bacchan of Indian cinema’, ‘The first superstar actress’, ‘The Queen Bee’…Sridevi.

            If I trust my memory, the first Sridevi starrer I watched was Sadma. She plays a young woman suffering from amnesia & autism following an accident. That still remains the most definitive child-woman performance of Indian film history. Who could forget Nagin. The way Sridevi played nagin (snake) character in this movie is completely unmatched. No actress before or after this movie has done it so perfectly, and I sincerely doubt if anyone would be able to give such a performance in the future. How many of us still remember that chiffon sari in Har kisiko nahin milta yahan pyar zindagi mein from Jaanbaz? If Yash Chopra brought Switzerland to India in Chandni, Sridevi made a charming acting rainbow out of her white costumes. Either it was the sensational double-act in Chaalbaaz or the class of an acting in Mr. India, she has always tested the limits of her acting skills. Be it Khuda Gawah, Ladla, Gumrah, Judaai or the unforgettable Lamhe, she never fails to surprise the audience and her costars with her spontaneous and riveting acting.   

           Before the recent trend of Indian actress going to Hollywood, it was Sridevi who was approached by none other than Hollywood’s showman, Steven Spielberg for a role in Jurassic Park, which she refused because of her commitments.

            With all due respect to MinaKumari, Madhubala and Nargis, I feel that Sridevi is the only complete actress. She undoubtedly is ‘The Last Empress’ of the Indian film industry.