Devara: Part 1, starring NT Rama Rao Jr (popularly known as Jr NTR), Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles, has hit the screens amidst significant buzz. The excitement for the Koratala Siva directorial, however, is not due to just one reason. While the film marking Jr NTR’s return to the silver screen after a two-year hiatus following RRR is a major draw, the fact that it’s the first time in years that NTR and Siva are joining forces has also added to the hype. Furthermore, Devara also serves as the Telugu debut for both Saif and Janhvi, further piquing the audience’s interest. While the enthusiasm surrounding Saif’s entry can be linked to his reputation as an impressive actor, the anticipation for Janhvi is largely influenced by the love and respect people in South India have for her mother, Superstar Sridevi — as she reigned over the area in an unparalleled manner during the ’70s and ’80s.
Janhvi has been working as an actor since 2018 and has shown that her talents and style differ significantly from her legendary mother’s. She is somewhat safe from comparisons though not completely shielded. Yet, much like the joy grandparents feel when visited by their grandkids, Janhvi’s debut is a moment of delight for South Indians as she is the daughter of their Sridevi. The legacy of the iconic actor still shines brightly here, even though her last appearance in a South Indian language was in 2015, Puli, and that too after a significant 19-year gap.
(Clockwise) Sridevi in Kumara Sambhavam, Thunaivan, Maa Nanna Nirdoshi and Poompatta. (Images: Millennium Cinemas, Bravo Tamil Cinema Taxi, v9 Videos,Central Talkies/YT)
Baby Sridevi
The grandparents-grandkids analogy was very deliberate as long before she made her mark in Bollywood and became “The” Sridevi, she had already established herself as a Queen of the South — the beloved daughter of all. Southern audiences were there during her birth (as an actor) when three-year-old Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan, hailing from Meenampatti village near Sivakasi, made her debut as Bala Murugan in the Tamil film Kandhan Karunai (1967). Born to a Telugu mother and a Tamil father, she also appeared as Lord Murugan in two more films that same year: Thunaivan in Tamil and Kumara Sambhavam in Malayalam. Hence, the early memories of Sridevi for some were related to god, while others saw her as a sweet little girl excelling in fancy dress competitions portraying Hindu gods amazingly.
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It wasn’t long before she made her Telugu debut in Maa Nanna Nirdoshi (1970). Even though she continued playing roles like Lord Murugan and Krishna, makers quickly recognised her talent and began offering her more substantial characters. She excelled in these roles too, and at the age of seven, she won her first Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist for her performance in Poompatta (1971). From there, her career took off and offers poured in from across South Indian film industries.
Sridevi with Jayalalithaa in Thirumangalyam. (Image: 4K Tamil Old Film/YT)
In the meantime, in 1972, she debuted in Hindi as a child artist in Rani Mera Naam, though her Bollywood career didn’t truly take off until 11 years later with Himmatwala (1983). She continued to focus on Southern films because the roles suited her and the environment was familiar. In a sense, the South raised her, watching her grow and spread her wings. Her eventual move to Bollywood and the establishment of her base there was akin to children moving away from their families for higher education or a job.
Sridevi with Kamal Haasan in Moondru Mudichu. (Image: Bicstol/YT)
13-year-old Sridevi becomes lead actor
Sridevi’s transition from child artiste to lead actor was remarkably seamless. Even as she gained prominence in Tamil and Telugu cinema, with occasional roles in Malayalam, delivering standout performances in films like Badi Panthulu (1972), Vasantha Maligai (1972), Deiva Kuzhandhaigal (1973) and playing a speech-impaired girl in Thirumangalyam (1974), she was, out of the blue, cast as the female lead in director K Balachander’s Moondru Mudichu (1976), starring alongside then-up-and-coming actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. Despite the film featuring two adult heroes and Kamal already proving his potential — the 13-year-old Sridevi won over audiences. At a time when cinema acting often followed theatrical conventions, with exaggerated emotions and gestures, Sridevi’s natural performance stood out for its subtlety and restraint, besides her command over the character.
Her debut as a lead actor felt like a long-awaited event for many makers and offers quickly followed. However, the young Sridevi was selective, choosing roles where she had a meaningful presence rather than simply being cast as the love interest or a token female character. Before long, studios and makers began crafting roles specifically for her.
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Sridevi in the Telugu film Burripalem Bullodu. (Express Archive photo)
Sridevigives Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth run for their money; but is overlooked by award committees
However, it was her performance as Mayil in director Bharathirajaa’s 16 Vayathinile (1977) that shocked everyone, proving that she was no longer “baby Sridevi” to be infantilised, but had grown into an exceptional actor. She was so talented that, despite the film featuring heavyweights like Kamal and Rajinikanth, the spotlight rarely left her. Yet, Kamal was the one favoured for awards during that era, while Sridevi was often overlooked, mainly due to the industry’s fixation on physical transformations, believing that greater transformations equated to better acting. Despite Mayil being a more layered character, experiencing a range of emotions that she portrayed flawlessly, Sridevi did not receive the recognition she deserved. Nevertheless, her performance left a lasting impression and she reprised the role in its Telugu remake Padaharella Vayasu (1978) and the Hindi version Solva Sawan (1979), which marked her Bollywood debut as a lead actor.
16 Vayathinile was just the beginning and the following years were Sridevi’s as a flood of opportunities came her way. Roles were written specifically for her, each exploring different facets of her talent — some showcased her acting prowess, some her quirkiness, her physical agility in dance and some her sheer beauty. Meanwhile, films like Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye (1978), where she played dual roles as two starkly different persons, gave her the chance to display her versatility in a single movie, blending multiple genres and showing off her multifaceted abilities.
Sridevi in the Hindi film Waqt Ki Awaz. (Express Archive photo)
In 1978, when Sridevi joined forces with Bharathirajaa and Kamal yet again for the psychological thriller Sigappu Rojakkal, now considered one of the landmark Indian films in that genre, she had become a proper star. Even though Kamal’s character of a serial killer received more performance-oriented instances, Sridevi, with her signature controlled performance, gave him a run for his money throughout. Her natural chemistry with her co-stars further fuelled her popularity and audiences especially loved her pairing with Kamal, as evidenced by the love the Malayalam films Kuttavum Shikshayum (1976) and Satyavan Savithri (1977) got.
From Vezhambal (1977), Kalyanaraman (1979), Karthika Deepam (1979), Vetagadu (1979), Guru (1980) and Johnny (1980) to Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980), Meendum Kokila (1981), Premabhishekam (1981) and Vazhvey Maayam (1982), it became nearly impossible for fans to pick a favourite Sridevi performance, as the list kept growing. Besides her peers, she also got opportunities to share the screen with veterans like NT Rama Rao and Sivaji Ganesan, helping her hone her craft and highlight how talented she was.
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The Sridevi-Kamal Haasan jodi
Sridevi and Kamal became such a hit pair that their names soon echoed across the country. In fact, any write-up on Sridevi would be incomplete without a section dedicated to the Sridevi-Kamal duo. They appeared together in a total of 27 films across various languages, inspiring and elevating each other’s performances. Their collaboration reached such heights that they both won Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Actress and Best Actor for the same movie — director Balu Mahendra’s Moondram Pirai (1982) — in which many scenes featured just the two of them. While Kamal excelled in the highly emotional scenes, Sridevi had the more challenging task of convincingly portraying a grown woman with retrograde amnesia, giving her the mindset of a child. Both roles demanded a delicate balance to avoid slipping into exaggeration or comical, but Sridevi had the added task of ensuring her portrayal didn’t feel overly childish, making people forget that she’s in fact an adult, which could have detracted from the film’s impact. Together, Sridevi and Kamal delivered powerhouse performances in Moondram Pirai, which was later remade in Hindi as Sadma (1983) with the same leads, cementing their status as one of the finest on-screen duos in Indian cinema.
Sridevi with Kamal Haasan and lyricist Gulzar during the recording of a song for Sadma. (Express Archive photo)
Sridevi with Kamal Haasan in Varumayin Niram Sivappu and Guru. (Express Archive photos)
However, once Himmatwala hit the screens and became a massive blockbuster, making her the nation’s heartthrob, Sridevi gradually shifted her focus to Bollywood and the number of films she did in the South started to decrease. Still, she didn’t completely bid goodbye to Southern cinema until her marriage, after which she took a hiatus from films altogether, including Bollywood. Nevertheless, she continued to delight her Southern fans with Tamil movies like Santhippu (1983), Adutha Varisu (1983) and Naan Adimai Illai (1986), and Telugu films such as Ramarajyamlo Bheemaraju (1983), Sri Ranga Neethulu (1983), Muddula Mogudu (1983), Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnulu (1986), Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990) and Kshana Kshanam (1991), where she continued to shine as before. In fact, she even gifted fans a surprise by excelling in action sequences in the Telugu movie Aakhari Poratam (1988), proving she was truly a Sakalakala Vallabhi (the mistress of all arts).
Janhvi Kapoor’s homecoming
Sridevi’s last Southern film before her hiatus was the sensual romantic drama Devaraagam (1996), directed by master filmmaker Bharathan, with music composed by MM Keeravaani. While the film, including Aravind Swamy’s performance, didn’t receive acclaim, the soundtrack became iconic and so did Sridevi’s effortless performance and timeless beauty. At 33, she had only grown more ethereal, with her acting skills further honed. Following her return to cinema with English Vinglish (2012), Sridevi reentered Southern cinema playing a key role in the fantasy action-adventure Puli, portraying a queen under an evil spell. Her character and performance could, in a good way, remind one of Meryl Streep’s portrayal of the Witch in Into the Woods (2014). Despite the film’s poor reception, Sridevi’s performance remained its sole highlight. While Puli didn’t do justice to her comeback, it still brought joy to her longtime fans and showed the new generation why she would always be remembered as the Queen of the South, even six years after her untimely passing.
Sridevi with Rajnikanth in Adutha Varisu. (Express Archive photo)
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Thus, Janhvi Kapoor’s debut in Telugu cinema holds a special significance — it’s not just another Bollywood actor or star kid entering the industry but holds a personal-level connection. As mentioned earlier, it’s akin to a grandchild visiting their grandparents after a long time. Whether Janhvi’s performance would be well-received depends on how she portrays her role, but it’s heartwarming to think that if Sridevi were alive today, she would have been elated seeing the love her daughter receives, simply because she is her daughter.
