Sridevi
Indian actress cited as the first female superstar of Indian cinema.
Sridevi, born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan on 13 August 1963 in Meenampatti village near Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, was an Indian actress who performed in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films. Often called the "first female superstar" of Indian cinema, she won a National Film Award, seven Filmfare Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award and three Filmfare Awards South), Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Kerala State Film Award, and a Nandi Award. Her career stretched more than 50 years and covered many genres. Off-screen, she was known as reserved and introverted, but on-screen she played strong-willed women with a headstrong, outspoken style. In 2013, she received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor.
She began as a child actor at age four in the 1967 Tamil film *Kandhan Karunai*, and took her first lead role as a child in M. A. Thirumugam’s 1969 Tamil mythological film *Thunaivan*. Her first adult on-screen role came at age 13 in the 1976 Tamil film *Moondru Mudichu*. She quickly became a leading star in South Indian cinema, with notable films including *16 Vayathinile* (1977), *Sigappu Rojakkal* (1978), *Padaharella Vayasu* (1978), *Varumayin Niram Sivappu* (1980), *Meendum Kokila* (1981), *Premabhishekam* (1981), *Vazhvey Maayam* (1982), *Moondram Pirai* (1982), *Aakhari Poratam* (1988), *Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari* (1990), and *Kshana Kshanam* (1991).
Her first starring role in Hindi cinema was the drama *Solva Sawan* (1979), and she gained wider recognition with the action film *Himmatwala* (1983). She became a leading Hindi film star through successes like *Mawaali* (1983), *Justice Chaudhury* (1983), *Tohfa* (1984), *Maqsad* (1984), *Karma* (1986), *Mr. India* (1987), *Waqt Ki Awaz* (1988), and *Chandni* (1989). She earned praise for performances in *Sadma* (1983), *Nagina* (1986), *ChaalBaaz* (1989), *Lamhe* (1991), *Khuda Gawah* (1992), *Gumrah* (1993), *Laadla* (1994), and *Judaai* (1997). After a break, she played the title role in the television sitcom *Malini Iyer* (2004–2005). She returned to film with the comedy-drama *English Vinglish* (2012) and had her 300th and final film role in the crime thriller *Mom* (2017). Both performances were acclaimed, and she was posthumously awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress for *Mom*.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan
- Birth Date
- 1963-08-13
- Birth Place
- Meenampatti, Madras (now Tamil Nadu), India
- Death Date
- 2018-02-24
- Death Place
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Resting Place
- Vile Parle Seva Samaj Crematorium
- Occupation
- Actress
- Years Active
- 1967–2018
- Works
- Full list
- Spouse
- Boney Kapoor · 1996
- Children
- Janhvi Kapoor · Khushi Kapoor
- Family
- Surinder Kapoor family
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Sridevi was born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan on 13 August 1963 in Meenampatti village near Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India to Ayyappan and Rajeswari. Her father was a lawyer from Sivakasi while her mother was from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Her native language was Telugu, and she was fluent in Tamil. She started her career as a child actor at age four in the 1967 Tamil film Kandhan Karunai. She played the role of young Muruga in Thunaivan, her first breakthrough as a child artist. She won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist for the Malayalam film Poompatta (1971).
Her first leading role as an on-screen adult came at age 13 in the 1976 Tamil film Moondru Mudichu.
Reader's Guide
Sridevi is widely regarded as the first female superstar of Indian cinema, a designation that reflects her unprecedented commercial and critical success across multiple language film industries. Her career, spanning over 50 years, began as a child actor and evolved into a leading role in South Indian cinema before she became a dominant force in Hindi films during the 1980s and 1990s. She was known for her reticent and introverted off-screen personality but headstrong and outspoken on-screen persona, often playing strong-willed women. Her performances in films such as Sadma (1983), Nagina (1986), ChaalBaaz (1989), and Lamhe (1991) earned widespread acclaim. After a hiatus, her return in English Vinglish (2012) and final film Mom (2017) demonstrated her enduring appeal and acting range. She was honored with the Padma Shri in 2013, the country's fourth highest civilian honor. Her sudden death in 2018 garnered significant media attention in India and internationally, cementing her legacy as a transformative figure in Indian cinema.
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