How Sridevi Became India’s First Female Superstar

Sridevi is remembered as one of the biggest icons of Indian cinema, whose influence on the industry cannot be forgotten, even in the decades to come. There are numerous names who start out as child artists and only a few earn the fame and name they deserve. The late actress is listed among those names. Debuting as a child artist in 1967, at the tender age of 4, Sridevi went on to earn the title of first female superstar of Bollywood. If the reports are to be believed, her film salary was more than that of the project’s male lead. The actress was not only an acting force in Bollywood but also was one of the biggest stars in South cinema.

She made her debut in the film industry with Kandhan Karunai, a Tamil film released in 1967. It was directed by A P Nagarajan and starred names like Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. At the age of 13, she did her first role as the lead in the film Moondru Mudichu, which was released in 1976. It was helmed by K Balachander and included Rajinikanth, Sridevi and Kamal Haasan as the leads. In the years that followed, Sridevi and Rajinikanth starred in around 22 films together, all becoming box-office successes.

For over five decades, Sridevi remained one of the most influential names in cinema. Even after a break of 15-years, her stardom and popularity remained unfazed. In 2013, she made a comeback in Bollywood with English Vinglish; the film became one of the biggest releases of the year. It was written and directed by Gauri Shinde and released on October 5. The cast included Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou and Priya Anand. Sunil Lulla, R Balki, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and R K Damani have produced the film under the banner of Hope Productions.

Sridevi’s final film was the crime-thriller release, Mom, which is directed by Ravi Udyawar. It starred Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna, Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui in important roles. The film was deemed a blockbuster hit.