Remembering Sridevi: The actress’s rage within

It is hard to fathom that a year has passed since we have lost a precious gem, never to return again. She was one of a kind with her jewel like eyes, the charisma in which she spoke, the aura she contained in her presence and her childlike coyness. She truly was unlike any other.

We are talking about the icon, the legend, the late Sridevi who like a gift entered our lives but when she left, she left us with a heavy heart and some wonderful memories. Sridevi was the queen of expressions be it comedy, romance or anger. Her eyes could do all the talking whether she moved her lips or not.

BizAsiaLive.com will look at some songs in which Sridevi showed a different emotion call it anger or rage she was unbelievable in these songs.

‘Bad girl’ from ‘Guru’ (1989)
Alisha Chinai sang for a young Sridevi who is seen performing in a club alongside some backing dancers. Dressed in black and gold trying to imitate a street look, what stands out is her red lips and big eyes. The lyrics had a sense of rebellion within them on which Sridevi performed with a lot of attitude and style. Shailendra Singh did sing a segment in the song where he sings for Mithun Chakraborty. There is in fact one scene in which he can be seen having a dance off with Sridevi and she delivers her best. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this song is all about Sridevi and her only such is her presence.

‘Kya hoon main tu jaane na’ from ‘Sultanat’ (1986)
Princess Yasmeen (Sridevi) does as she pleases after all she is royalty but when she is forced to dance for Sultan (Sunny Deol) she not only expresses her disapproval verbally but through her performance. The song begins with a strong beat perhaps imitating the anger within Yasmeen’s heart, the way Sridevi danced on this song was impressive. The anger could be seen through her eyes and her fierce dance moves. Asha Bhosle’s vocals displayed Yasmeen’s feelings well especially her attitude. She sings you don’t know what I am, nor do you recognise me and lastly what is your status before me she asks Sultan.

‘Mere ghulam’ from ‘Laadla’ (1994)
Sridevi’s character Sheetal was a powerful woman and very intelligent but sometimes she let her ego and her anger get the better of her. When Raju (Anil Kapoor) who works in her factory starts to question her rather than do as he’s told she starts to hate him and will stop at nothing to ruin him. This song was definitely unlike any song Sridevi had done before, the sheer anger she is feeling and the revenge she has in her mind is quite scary. Alka Yagnik lent her vocals for this fiery number.

Sridevi owned this song and till date perhaps no other actress has performed on such a song where the female lead is filled with such power and destruction.

‘Main teri dushman’ from ‘Nagina’ (1986)
The striking blue eyes, the white outfit and those piercing glances from Sridevi, the song that she is remembered for most is this one. The fight between a snake and the snake charmer is a story that has been around for centuries but that story can be lived within this song. When the late Amrish Puri who played the snake charmer realises that his prey has arrived both individuals have a stare off and within that moment, without saying a word, they express that the battle is on. Lata Mangeshkar sang for Sridevi revealing her torment and her revenge. Sridevi danced using classical dance steps, completely transforming herself into a snake with the way she moved her body. It will forever remain a memorable song because Sridevi immersed herself into her role completely.

‘Moments of rage’ from ‘Lamhe’ (1991)
There were no lyrics in this song as it was an instrumental piece something which the late Yash Chopra was known to do in his films. The situation is such that Viren (Anil Kapoor) and Pooja (Sridevi) have a disagreement and he ends up slapping her at which Pooja is sad, she is angry and full of rage. She can’t help but keep remembering the slap which enrages her even more. The instrumental piece begins with classic sounds which builds up the tension and the fire within Pooja. It then changes to a western beat with the sounds of the drums and cymbals. To let off some steam she begins to dance in a studio using western dance moves. It is said that Chopra wanted Sridevi to do some classical dancing to this piece but she insisted on doing a western dance.

The late Sridevi will always be remembered with love and for the star she was, stay tuned to BizAsiaLive.com for more features!