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Review: Sridevi; The South Years by Amborish Roy Choudhury
Sridevi, a legendary Indian actress, is the subject of a new book titled "Sridevi - The South Years," which explores her work in southern Indian cinema. The book delves into her versatile talent and successful career, making it a recommended read for film enthusiasts and fans of Sridevi.
Sridevi, whose real name was Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, stepped into films at the tender age of four. Never having gone to school, much less, to college, she became a living icon of the Indian screen, acting in films in five languages, crossing cultural barriers, and stepping into the hearts of millions. Those were the same fans who congregated to catch a last glimpse of her following her sudden and tragic death on 24 February 2018. The only female actor in India who was a commercial and critical success, she impressed even in her early masala films. Indeed, she could make the weirdest costumes look graceful and successfully turned the idea of the Sati Savitri on its head.
But few critics and fans in the north know the variety and volume of the films that she was a part of in the film industries of southern India. Her incredible work in feature films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada is the subject of Amborish Roy Choudhury’s Sridevi – The South Years. It’s a subject that leaves the reader quite amazed for though Sridevi turned out hits in all these languages, when she began, she was fluent only in Tamil and Telugu. With a foreword by Kamal Haasan and an afterword by Ram Gopal Verma, who were both her peers and long-standing friends, the book is divided into two parts. The first, Her Story, comprising 16 chapters, explains her work in great detail and highlights how the crowds were drawn not only by her cuddly beauty but also by her versatile talent that allowed her to execute exactly what the director demanded of her. Sridevi, whose career spanned half a century, herself said that she was always obedient, both at home and on film sets.
When she began as a child she did not understand what she was doing or why and how. Once, asked if she missed going to school or playing like other children, she responded that while she didn’t miss school because she had never gone to one, she did miss playing. Still, she never expressed any regrets. Extraordinary, even as a toddler, her portrayal of the child Murugan, a beloved southern deity, in the Sivaji Ganesan starrer Kandhan Karunai (1967) was outstanding. She also shone in the MGR-Jayalalithaa starrer Nam Naadu (1969).
Unsurprisingly, she learnt acting techniques on the job from her adult co-stars, who included stalwarts like MG Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa, NT Rama Rao, Gemini Ganesan and Sivaji Ganesan. Slightly senior actors like Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan and Chiranjeevi were also supportive, with Haasan also being deputed to train her while he was working as an assistant director on some of her films. The two had a great relationship and when Haasan was once asked if he would marry her, he responded with, “but she is family!”
A film critic based in Mumbai, Amborish Roy Choudhury had earlier authored In A Cult of Your Own: Bollywood Beyond Box Office, which won a Special Mention at the 66th National Film Awards. This, his second book, is dedicated to Amitabh Bachchan, “who shaped my life and career in ways he will never know”. It’s a beautiful touch which sets the tone for what follows.
The volume’s second part includes interviews with four veteran critics and film scholars from south India – Baradwaj Rangan, G Dhananjayan, Chitra Lakshmanan and Mohan Raman – who wrote about Sridevi and interacted with her. Their reminiscences recall a simple person often unaware of the magic she created in the world around her. “The film industry was a university for her,” says Baradwaj Rangan. Sridevi learnt from everyone she worked with – actors, directors, assistants – and this shaped her into a spontaneous performer over a long career. She worked in 29 films opposite Telugu matinee idol Krishna alone and at 14, she began playing the female lead opposite actors who were old enough to be her father.
The author’s documentation and field research is thorough. This is admirable considering that many of those interviewed for the book spoke only in the southern languages. Even watching the films in the original was a challenge as many were not subtitled or dubbed.
Fluently narrated with a thankful absence of high jargon, the book, which includes glossy film stills, could have done with a filmography at the end. On the plus side, except for the story of her childhood, Roy Choudhury steers clear of peeping into Sridevi’s private life. Highly recommended for students of film studies, Indian film scholars, and lovers of Sridevi, this is a very good read indeed.
Shoma A Chatterji is a senior journalist. She lives in Kolkata.
