BizAsia Tribute: Five films in which Sridevi aced a dual role

Before there was no actress like her nor will there ever be another like her. Bollywood has lost one of its greatest and it is hard to imagine cinema without her. Sridevi was a glittering star whose expressions made everyone’s heart melt.

To pay tribute to this outstanding legend, BizAsiaLive.com will look back at 5 of her roles in which she did a dual role.

Anju & Manju in ‘Chaalbaaz’ (1989)
The film was said to be a remake of the 70’s classic ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’ (1973) which starred Hema Malini. It was the first time that Sridevi was seen in such a role and till date is regarded as one of her best. She played the role of twin sisters Anju and Manju that get separated when they are babies leading them to have very different lives when they grow up.

Anju lives with her uncle Tribhuvan (Anupam Kher) who likes to beat her over the smallest of things. She is treated like a slave in her own house and isn’t even allowed to mourn for her parents. Her uncle and his girlfriend often make fun of her emotions so not only do they hurt her physically but mentally too. Anju has no confidence whatsoever and grows up to be quiet and afraid.

Manju on the other hand is very confident in herself and earns a living by singing and dancing on stage. Unlike Anju she knows how to fight for her rights and can be seen raising her voice against injustice. There is a particular scene where she takes revenge on Tribhuvan by treating him exactly the way he treats the individuals in the house.

Sridevi showed what a magnificent artist she was as she imitated the legend Raaj Kumar. The scene was full of comedy and had one in fits of laughter. It is no wonder that Sridevi won the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1990 for her performance.

Reshma & Devi in ‘Banjaran’ (1991)
Sridevi played the role of a gypsy named Reshma who seems to have the same horrific dream every night there is a full moon. Once she meets Kumar (Rishi Kapoor) she feels that she has some sort of connection to him as he is the one who appears in her dreams. Strangely Kumar ends up painting a picture of her and is shocked because he has never seen her before yet for some reason he has painted her image.

In the second half of the film we learn that Reshma and Kumar were lovers in a past life. Reshma was called Devi and she was the daughter of the wealthy Thakur Baba (Pran). Not only this she was in love with a gypsy named Suraj who now has been born into a wealthy household as Kumar.

Although Sridevi didn’t play the role of twins in this film she played two different characters who both have the same goal to obtain their love. It was a beautiful love story that showed that true love will find a way even if it means in another life time.

Pallavi & Pooja in ‘Lamhe’ (1991)
This was the film that tried to break the norms that people were accustomed to. It was the story of love but the biggest obstacle here was the age difference between the individuals.

Pallavi was a young woman who lived with her father in Rajasthan. In nature she was quite mature and would be seen taking care of the household chores as well as her fathers health. She loved to sing and dance escaping from the worries of her daily life. When Viren (Anil Kapoor) sees Pallavi for the first time he is mesmerised by her and can’t get her off his mind.

Pooja was the daughter of Pallavi who like her mother loved to sing and dance. Pooja was a breath of fresh air who enjoyed life’s every moment to the fullest. Ever since she was young she had loved Viren who tried to avoid her as much as possible.

Although on the outside she looked like a modern girl, in her heart she always kept Rajasthan close to her. Sridevi as the mischievous Pooja won the hearts of everyone, she was a sweet girl who only wanted to be loved by Viren unaware of his past.

In 1992 Sridevi won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for this film as she did a splendid job with her performance.

Benazir & Mehndi in ‘Khuda Gawah’ (1992)
Benazir was a striking beauty with long flowy hair and eyes that sparkled. It is no surprise that when she’d ask her suitors to avenge her father’s death they would gladly take the risk in order to marry her.

She always had a calm and composed sort of manner but when she falls in love with Badshah Khan (Amitabh Bachchan) she forgets who she is and loses herself in him. A time comes when she hears that Badshah Khan is no more and is unable to bear the news. The once brave Benazir turns into a living corpse who awaits the return of her lost love.

Mehndi was the daughter of Benazir and Badshah Khan who although had her mother wasn’t able to attain her love. Brought up by Khuda Baksh (Danny Denzongpa), she grows up to be a tomboy who loves fast cars. Although she had never seen her father she spoke just like him which would often surprise Khuda Baksh. Unlike her mother she was loud and full of pride.

Sridevi was absolutely amazing in the way she was able to play the role of a mother and her daughter. It was unbelievable seeing the two characters together in one scene because they were so different but they were played by the same person. It was pure brilliance by Sridevi.

Sunita & Kavita in ‘Gurudev’ (1993)
Sridevi played the role of twin sisters Sunita and Kavita who get separated from one another in their childhood. Kavita adopts the name Priya and becomes a famous stage artist with many fans. The other sister Sunita calls herself Rosy and owns a bar where she often likes to place bets and con customers.

Priya/Kavita is glamorous and lives a busy life where she performs for hundreds on stage. She speaks with class and dresses in beautiful outfits to suit her artist lifestyle. Her sister Rosy/Sunita is a full on tomboy who lives in colourful pants and shirts, with matching hats. She has very short hair which she often styles in pigtails and if one described her style of talking they would say it reminds one of a tapori. Sridevi was paired opposite both Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor and she looked great.

Sridevi will forever be remembered for the huge superstar she was. Stay tuned to BizAsiaLive.com for more news about the actress.