Na Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Thi
The extraordinary scintillating talent that was Sridevi emerged as a sparkling gem from the depths of the 1980s Bollywood cinema. At a time when women in Bollywood were often not more than a love interest, a mother, or a sister, Sridevi was a true superstar – surpassing many of her male contemporaries in drawing audiences to the cinema.
Already a major player in South India, she entered the Bollywood as an effervescence, bedecked in gold and white in the film Himmatwala. Her next major box office hit was Nagina, a film with a ludicrous premise, yet which somehow works, and in fact, bred an entire genre of snake fantasy films in Bollywood. Her charisma leapt off the screen; illness could not hinder it – Sridevi shot the iconic song, “Na jaane kahaan se aayi hai” from Chaalbaaz, in the rain, with a 103 degree fever. She didn’t dub her own dialogues till Chandani in 1989 but when her voice arrived, it came with a bang, with Sridevi lending her inimitable vocals to the title track.
Throughout the 90s, she delivered plot-driven, women-centric, yet commercially successful hits such as Lamhe, playing both mother and daughter, and Judaai, compelling audiences to empathize with a wife who sells her husband to another woman. After a six-year hiatus, Sridevi returned to acting in 2004. Not to the big screen, but in another trailblazing move, starring in the television sitcom, Malini Iyer. In recent years, in addition to making notable films like English Vinglish and Mom, Sridevi had found a love of painting, bringing the same luminescence to canvas as she did to the silver screen. Sridevi’s 300th film was released just a few months before her devastating demise, a coda to an illustrious 50 year career. She was 54.
Sridevi leaves behind her husband, the esteemed Indian producer, Boney Kapoor, and two lovely, talented daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi. The Chicago South Asian Film Festival is honored to pay tribute to legendary queen Sridevi’s legacy through an Opening Night Red Carpet Performance featuring some of her most iconic songs.