Remembering Sridevi on her birth anniversary: Did you know she was not the original choice for 'Sadma'?

There’s no denying the fact that Sridevi was one of the most popular and respected actresses in the film industry. A performer par excellence, she enjoyed a strong fan following due to her impressive screen presence, remarkable range as an artiste and bold selection of roles. She also held her own against stars such as Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, proving that she was a force to be reckoned with.

Sridevi, who began her acting career in Tamil cinema, eventually entered the Hindi film industry with Solva Sawan (1979) and added a new dimension to her career. The Bharathiraja-directed movie, however, failed to establish her as a star as it proved to be a total failure. The ‘Last Empress’ ultimately became a recognisable name in Hindi cinema with Sadma (1983).

The film, directed by Balu Mahendra, was a remake of the director’s hit Tamil movie Moondram Pirai and saw Sridevi and Kamal Haasan reprising their roles from the original version. Playing the role of a ‘child-woman’, she hit it out of the park with her effortless performance. The film soon attained a cult status despite not being a commercial success. In fact, a section of the audience considers it to be one of the finest movies of all time.

While everyone knows about the impact of Sadma on Sridevi’s career, not many know that the ‘Last Empress’ was not the original for the film. Balu Mahendran reportedly wanted to cast Sripriya (who was also the first choice for the Tamil version) in the film but things did not work out. He then decided to cast Dimple Kapadia in Sadma. The Bobby star, who was working with Kamal in Sagar, surprisingly turned down the offer as she did not have dates for the film. Following this, the role went to ‘Chandini’, who accepted it in no time.

Coming back to the present, Sridevi is no more but lives on through her work. Actress Rakul Preet played her in NTR Kathanayakudu and recreated her famous dance number from the Telugu blockbuster Vetagadu. She also reenacted the famous interrogation scene from Bobbili Puli.