Throwback Thursday: On Sridevi’s 63rd Birth Anniversary, Movies That Made Her Bollywood’s First Lady Superstar

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As Sridevi's 63rd birth anniversary falls on August 13, 2026, this Throwback Thursday is the perfect occasion to revisit the films that transformed her from a hugely popular actress into one of Indian cinema's most enduring icons. Sridevi built an extraordinary career across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi cinema before becoming widely recognised as India's first female superstar.

Photo Credit: Instagram@shortedindia/proudsridevianz/AI-generated

Her journey to superstardom was not built on one blockbuster alone. It was a remarkable combination of commercial success, extraordinary acting ability, comic timing, dance, glamour and an almost unmatched ability to command the screen.

Himmatwala: The Breakthrough That Changed Everything

When Himmatwala arrived in 1983, Sridevi was already an established star in South Indian cinema, but the film changed the trajectory of her Hindi-film career. Starring opposite Jeetendra, the film became a major commercial success and firmly established her among Hindi cinema's leading actresses.

The film showcased the qualities that would soon become central to her Bollywood persona: glamour, dance, comic energy and an undeniable screen presence. Her pairing with Jeetendra also became one of the most commercially successful combinations of the period.

But Himmatwala was only the beginning. Sridevi had yet to demonstrate just how dramatically she could stretch herself as an actress.

Sadma: The Film That Proved She Was More Than A Star

The same year brought Sadma, and it revealed a completely different Sridevi.

Playing Nehalata, a woman who develops the mental state of a child following an accident, Sridevi delivered an emotionally demanding performance opposite Kamal Haasan. Although the film was not a major box-office success on release, her performance became one of the most celebrated of her career and the film eventually developed a cult following.

Sadma was crucial to her evolution because it established that the actress who could dominate a song-and-dance number could also inhabit an extraordinarily vulnerable and emotionally complex character. The film gave audiences a glimpse of the performer behind the superstar image.

Nagina: When Sridevi Became The Main Attraction

With Nagina in 1986, Sridevi demonstrated something even more significant: she could be the primary commercial attraction.

Playing Rajni, a shape-shifting serpent seeking revenge, Sridevi carried a fantasy drama that became a major commercial success. Her performance in the iconic "Main Teri Dushman" sequence became one of the defining moments of her career.

The importance of Nagina goes beyond its fantasy premise. Sridevi was proving that audiences would turn up for a film because she was at its centre. It was an important step towards the kind of female-led stardom that was still unusual in mainstream Hindi cinema.

Mr India: The Moment Sridevi Became A Superstar

If one film can be described as the defining turning point in Sridevi's journey to superstardom, it is Mr India.

Released in 1987, Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi entertainer starred Anil Kapoor in the title role, but Sridevi's performance as journalist Seema became one of the film's biggest attractions. Her comic timing, expressive performance and unforgettable dance sequences, including "Hawa Hawai" and "Kaate Nahi Kat Te," turned the character into a cultural icon.

What made this particularly significant was that Sridevi could dominate a film that had a major male star at its centre. Her performance demonstrated that she was no longer simply a leading lady supporting the hero. She was a star in her own right.

ChaalBaaz: When One Sridevi Wasn't Enough

Two years later came ChaalBaaz, one of the clearest demonstrations of Sridevi's extraordinary range.

She played twin sisters Anju and Manju, characters with completely contrasting personalities. Anju is timid and vulnerable, while Manju is outspoken, street-smart and fearless. Sridevi switched between the two personalities with remarkable physical and comic precision.

The performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and remains one of the most celebrated comic performances by a Hindi-film actress.

ChaalBaaz mattered because it proved that Sridevi could carry a film through performance alone. She wasn't merely playing the heroine; she was the film's central entertainment engine.

Chandni: When Sridevi Became A Cultural Phenomenon

Then came Chandni in 1989, and Sridevi's stardom took on another dimension.

Yash Chopra's romantic musical placed her at the centre of a world of romance, music, chiffon and breathtaking locations. Sridevi's Chandni became the quintessential Yash Chopra heroine, while the film's white costumes and romantic imagery became part of Bollywood's visual vocabulary. Retrospectives have credited the film with helping revive the romantic musical in Hindi cinema.

Her white and yellow chiffon sarees, expressive performance and songs such as "Mere Haathon Mein Nau Nau Choodiyan" remain inseparable from the memory of Chandni.

At this point, Sridevi was no longer simply starring in successful films. She was defining what Hindi-film stardom looked like.

Lamhe: The Superstar Who Continued To Take Risks

Lamhe arrived in 1991 and demonstrated why Sridevi's reputation rested on more than box-office popularity.

She played both Pallavi and Pooja, two generations of women whose lives become connected through an unconventional romantic story. The film was considered ahead of its time, and Sridevi's performance was widely praised.

The role demanded that she create two distinct characters while navigating a complex and unconventional premise. It also earned her another Filmfare Best Actress win.

Lamhe therefore became an important reminder that Sridevi was willing to take creative risks even after reaching the highest level of stardom.

Laadla: Sridevi As The Unapologetic Boss Lady

By the time Laadla released in 1994, Sridevi had already established herself as a superstar. But the film gave her another fascinating kind of female character.

She played Sheetal Jetley, a wealthy and headstrong factory owner whose authority and ambition drive the story. Unlike the traditionally soft or accommodating Hindi-film heroine, Sheetal is initially stern, domineering and unapologetically ambitious.

Sridevi's intensity in the role was widely recognised, and she received a Filmfare Best Actress nomination. The film was also among the year's successful releases.

What makes Laadla especially interesting in a Sridevi retrospective is the character's sheer authority. She owns the room, runs a business and refuses to quietly occupy the background.

It highlighted the unusual range of women Sridevi could make compelling.

What Made Sridevi India's First Female Superstar?

Sridevi's superstardom cannot be reduced to a list of successful films. It was the combination of qualities she brought to them.

Himmatwala established her commercial presence. Sadma proved her acting ability. Nagina demonstrated her female-led box-office power. Mr India made her a cultural phenomenon. ChaalBaaz showcased her comic brilliance. Chandni turned her into the face of an entire romantic aesthetic. Lamhe proved she could take creative risks at the height of her fame, while Laadla showed that she could command the screen as an ambitious, formidable woman.

She also achieved something extraordinarily rare in the Hindi film industry of her era: she could compete with male stars for audience attention and commercial value. Sridevi soon turned into India's first female superstar, highlighting how she could outshine and out-earn her male contemporaries.

A Superstar Whose Legacy Outlived The Era

This Throwback Thursday, on her 63rd birth anniversary, revisiting these films is all about remembering an actress who changed the possibilities of female stardom in mainstream Indian cinema.

That may ultimately be what made her a superstar. She didn't simply occupy the leading-lady space. She expanded it.