She is beautiful, she is talented; she is no more. Whether you grew up watching her as a child in South India or whether you were the lucky enough to have her near you in Bollywood, Sri Devi’s performances crossed barriers and borders. We thought it is befitting to list some of her best songs from mostly the starting of her career because we are after all a little biased about those times! Here’s a befitting list! 10 Songs of Sri Devi you have to listen now to remember her and maybe cry into a tissue! Sigh!
10. Sippi Erukkudhu from Varumayin Neram Sivappu
Kickstarting the list we have one of the best of Kamal and Sri Devi’s chemistry shown in Varumayin Niram Sivappu; a movie that tackled unemployment and communism. Sri Devi in the role of a struggling worker who is juggling feelings for Prathap and Kamal was praised by many and she showed equal mettle to Ulaganayagan Kamal. This song is our favourite on the playlist!
09. Chinnanchiru Vayathil from Meendum Kokila
This original Sathileelavathi type story was hilarious and marked the making of a bankable actress! Although Kamal was the lead and had the fortune of working with two actresses in this, Sri Devi easily overtook the role of Kokila and even won a Filmfare award for her role. She essayed the role of a wife whose husband was running behind a cinema star with comedic timing and panache!
08. Kaatril, Enthan Geetham from Johnny
Sri Devi has been known as one of the few actresses to act at par with the two biggies of Kollywood that is Ulaganayagan and of course, Superstar Rajinikanth! In Johnny, she essayed the role of a singer trying to change the life of a gangster so well that in fact lot of people had doubts if she was herself singing the actual songs. This emotion-filled song makes us want to shut off from the world and look out the window when it rains!
07. Enthan Kannil from Guru
If you think frequent pairing in cinemas is not good, think again. Cinema couple, Kamal and Sri Devi were so good together that movie-makers in the 80s couldn’t stop making films with them over and over again. Which is no wonder, Guru was a light-hearted movie with a little of comedy and lot of action. This song in which an apparently drunk Sri Devi dances as Kamal struggles to placate her is hilarious as well and commendable.
06. Kanne Kalaimane from Moondram Pirai
If you can listen to this song without crying, you must be made of something else. One of the saddest climaxes ever made, this film was all about a platonic sort of love and the loss of innocence in adulthood. Sri Devi as the Amnesia stricken woman acting like a child resonated with many as the actress had been a child artiste from so young, People felt pity for the actress and wondered if she ever had all the joys of childhood. Working with the brilliant Kamal yet again, they restored some innocence in us!
05. Ninaivo Oru Paravai from Sigappu Rojakkal
Yet again a Kamal-Sri Devi starrer the movie was touted for its subtle crime-thriller storyline. Kamal as a serial killer and Sri Devi as his wife/next victim horrified many to the point where one would spend a sleepless night if they saw this movie alone in the dark. In an era of over-dramatized acting in Tamil films, Sigappu Rojakkal was one of the notable exceptions. The film completed a 175-day run at the box office. It won two Filmfare Awards in the Best Actor and Best Director categories. This duet is eerie and darkly romantic in its own way!
04. Senthoora Poove from 16 Vayathinile
The reason Sri Devi’s performance in 16 Vayathinile was so effective was that she was living the role; she was after all only 14 when she acted in it, that too with both the big names of Kamal and Rajini again on the side! The debut of director Bharathiraja, the film focuses on the strengths and vulnerabilities of Mayil (Sridevi), a 16-year-old schoolgirl, and the challenges she faces and overcomes. It was praised for being one of the first films to show rural life as it is and the difficulties villagers face; also it was first Tamil film to be entirely shot outdoors!
03. Devi, Sri Devi from Vazhve Maayam
A remake of Telugu film Premabhishekam, this film also featured a tragic climax with the leading pair of Kamal and Sridevi. With critically acclaimed music by Gangai Amaren and lyrics by Vaali, the film was a blockbuster and completed 200-day run at the box office! This peppy light hearted song will totally distract you from the sadness that will come later in the movie so just listen to the song right now and enjoy!
02. English Vinglish, the Theme song
This comeback captured our hearts completely! Her first movie after marriage and a hiatus of 15 years, English Vinglish, a comedy-drama about a housewife who had to struggle with her English was cute, beautiful, and tear-jerking! This movie was actually India’s official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The film earned Sridevi several nicknames such as “Meryl Streep of India” and the “female Rajinikanth in Japan”.
01. Vasantha Kalam from Moondru Mudichu
This list won’t be complete without mentioning the biggest track of them all – Vasantha Kala from her first film as a heroine. She was just 13 years old! – is a sentence everybody would have heard by now. She played the love interest of Kamal and the step-mother of Rajini! K Balachander’s instincts were as usual right and this little girl went on to become one of the finest leading ladies in Cinema universally! Are you crying yet? We sure are!