Revisiting the late Sridevi’s top 5 performances of all time!

As the nation still grapples with the untimely and unfortunate death of the legend that Sridevi was, the best tribute we can give from our side is to revisit some of her most sordid and spectacular performances. To call this chameleon a good actor would be a major understatement, she was one of the most dependable performers that seldom struck a false note. So on the occasion of her 55th birth anniversary, here are her five most fiery performances that shall never evaporate from our consciousness

1. SADMA (1983)

She was a relatively raw and naive actor at the time of Sadma, but her performance depicted otherwise. At a young and tender age, to deliver an emotionally heartfelt performance of this stature not only spoke about her meticulous understanding of the craft of acting, but also paved way for more such fantastically nuanced performances later.

2. MR. INDIA (1987)

Okay, this might have been an Anil Kapoor show-reel but it was nearly impossible for her not to be noticed. And who in the world can forget that next to perfect impersonation of Charlie Chaplin, that scene still remains a guide to brilliant acting for most of the contemporary actors. But not only comedy, she dabbled with drama and romance and created a blend of multiple emotions, all in the same film.

3. LAMHE (1991)

This was a unique double role, this was a unique love story, and this was a unique film. Anil Kapoor was smitten by Sridevi, who was older than her, 20 years later, her daughter, a replica of her mother, falls in love with him. The idea was always a risk; the actress even told the director, Yash Chopra, but the film was destined to happen and destined to charm. Although a commercial failure, Lamhe is regarded as Chopra and Sridevi’s best.

4. CHAALBAAZ (1989)

Another double role for the actor came just two years before Lamhe. The film was CHAALBAAZ and her characters were Anju and Manju. As cliches in cinema would follow- One grows up to be timid and meek, the other a feisty motor-mouth, willing to kick butts at the drop of a hat. The actor carried both the drastically different roles with aplomb. So much so that she almost overshadowed her co-stars Rajinikanth and Sunny Deol. CHAALBAAZ was nothing but a complete Sridevi show-reel.

5. JUDAAI (1997)

This one is my personal favorite. It’s not one of her best films, far from it, but her performance here still forces me to watch this every time it’s on TV. The plot was as bizarre as it could get, there was hamming all over the place, but Sridevi made ham so much cool in Judaai, one of my abiding guilty pleasures. A woman obsessed to lead a wealthy lifestyle forces her husband to marry a second woman, yes, this was the plot. But nothing is impossible in the word of Movies, and nothing was impossible for Sridevi.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Chandni, Khuda Gawah, Laadla, English Vinglish and Mom

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