Stardust

Can Sridevi Survive the Downfall?

Ten,... nine, eight, seven... The numbers are racing past with alarming velocity... three, two, one... and finally zero. Then nothing. Only emptiness after the final countdown. The still after the deceleration, then, time out. Such is the short lived story of life at the top. A short struggle in the spotlight, until it shifts. Shorter for the heroines. No wonder that the fear which haunts our pretty women is fear of obscurity - after the promise of eternity The know- ledge that after the 'up' comes the 'down' on life's roller coaster. After the peak comes the slope down. And Sridevi knows that. She's probably aware that no one is indispensible. That the very people who put you on a pedestal want to knock you off. Unless of course you prove your right to the, coveted place. That you truly belong there. With hit after hit, worthy of a queen of Sridevi's bearing. Only then do they overlook the slips - beyond where the hits are. But they don't give too many chances. Not even to Sridevi. It's exam time for her now. An this time it is not just her histrionics they're going to test. The yardstick is success.
Unfortunately for Sri, the slips have by far outnumbered the hits'. And the 'Chandni' now know that her bright moon will soon be co- vered by the dark clouds of adversity and challenge. Because already silver moonlight is fading and the other stars around are in compari - son sparkling brighter.

Suddenly this is her last chance. Queen bee or not, Sridevi desperately needs a hit. And heaven help her if 'Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja' fails. Then nothing will ever save her. And the facts and figures of Sridevi's recent career span are not in her favour at all. Facts which the Leo lady realizes only too well as her D-day arrives. No wonder her fingers are tightly crossed together, praying with a plea of their own. It's through last prayer, they seem to know.  All these years she held on to her mantle firmly. She fought to retain the crown that she had grown accustomed to wearing with such ease. She tried hard and succeeded in maintaining her Number One position for almost ten enviable years. She crossed every hurdle with ease. Born to rule like the lioness she is Upstaging all her rivals almost effortlessly. Jaya Prada, Meenakshi, Dimple, Kimi, just to name a few. She raced past them, towards her goal. And zoomed so far ahead, to where there was no competition, no rival and no contender. She ruled unthreatened, unaffected, her position unaltered by futile attempts of others to upstage her.
Since those glorious days to today. 1992. She enjoyed the privileged life. But now, for the first time, her position is being threatened. So busy was she basking in her limelight that it was too late when she realised that The chair' was slipping away. Gone are the days when even though Sridevi's films were failures, they ensured a draw, an audience, she had a commanding fan following but the success worshippers have begun deserting. Her mortality lies exposed. Suddenly she is not the untouchable she appeared to be.

The fallibility began last year. 'Chandni' was Sridevi's last hit. And it was a long long time ago. One cannot rest on one's past laurels. In spite of good banners her major films flopped. 'Paththar Ke Insaan', 'Naka Bandi', 'Lamhe','Khuda Gawah' and then the biggest disaster of them all 'Heer Ranjha' The heroine herself was aware of her misses and she was trying every trick in the book to manipulate hit even then. But suddenly nothing was working. Meanwhile her strongest contender, Madhuri, gave a string of hits. Thanedaar', 'Saajan', 'Dil' and finally 'Beta' - the biggest money spinner of the last two years. Of course, Sridevi took refuge behind a: "So what, she still has miles to go! "Something that her fast lessening loyalists foolishly believed, "So what? Big deal. Nothing can affect Sri's position." But how long can one fool oneself or others? At least not the sensible Sri?
Sri realised that her throne was in danger sometime late last year and she started manoeuvering. She began making career moves which made everyone sit up and take notice. Because Sridevi had never done so before. The survival instinct came to the fore. It began with her signing a film with the teen-craze, Salman Khan, last September. That Salman's pairing with Madhuri at that time had resulted in a hit, 'Saajan' could be put down to a coincidence. But what about Madhuri's other co-star Sunjay Dutt? The South Indian actress signed 'Gumrah' with Jr. Dutt. Hardly a coincidence. Because the lady had sworn at one time never to work with him. But now the situation demanded it. Nothing would be too great a price to pay if she could manage to salvage her position. And the only way she deemed fit was to work opposite the bankable young stars of the day.
 Madhuri, in the meantime continued answering every flop of Sri's with a hit. But still the Ai-ai-aio actress officially remained Number One and she got her astronomical price despite Madhuri breathing down her neck. But she received a shattering blow when 'Khuda Gawah' didn't reach even half-way near her high expectations. 'Lamhe' followed the same down-route. Even before Sri could recover from the disastrous bombing of her films, 'Beta' was declared the biggest hit of the year. And Madhuri soared.
The insult added to Sri's injury when a couple of weeks later, her 'Heer Ranjha' was declared the biggest flop in the history of Hindi cinema. But even then Madhuri remained Number Two. A close contender. A little too close for Number One's comfort. Yet not on par.

Although Madhuri continued sending the cash registers ringing, in distribution circles, Sridevi still reigned supreme. But Sri hasn't given up. She knows that she is not beaten yet. As we said earlier, this is her last chance. And she is giving it all she has got. She won't give up without a fight. She knows that it's going to be a tough task. Indeed for Sri, it's now or never. For now, she is banking heavily on her two pet projects to see her through this trough weather. 'R.K.R, C.K.R.' and 'Gumraah'. Her two oars, her only saviours in the wild sea of filmdom. She is sparing no effort to ensure that her films become hits. Going to the extent of doing a sizzling number in, 'R.K.R.C.K.R.', a blatantly erotic number, gyrating with Anil in wet rain. A sure-shot sign of desperation in a top heroine. The song makes her sexy number in 'Mr. India' seem kindergarten stuff. The dance itself reminds one of similar 'Madhuri dances'. It is not something that Sri has ever done before, it's that provocative. She is making lot of other special concessions for these two films which can help her retain her position. She has even forgone the awesome price that she used to charge for re-shooting. Which amounted to a fancy packet on a per day basis. But the suddenly not-so-hot Sri has been re-shooting without any extra payment and has even started publicizing 'Gumraah' by saying, "I have never felt so strong!)' about any other film.
 An otherwise easy going Sri has suddenly become extra conscious of her image. For the first time in her life, the Numero Uno actress is trying to safeguard her 'Ms. Clean' image. Her insecurities are growing. She took a film magazine to court because they wrote about her being involved in a drunken scene in the hotel where she stayed. But her paranoia didn't stop there. She became so image-conscious that when she heard that Saroj Khan gave an interview to another magazine lambasting her, and in praise of Madhuri, she dropped everything and sought the help of her only hope - Mithun (in his capacity as CM president). Strange considering the two hadn't exchanged a word after their break-up. Only because a die-hard loyalist of Sri couldn't lambast her in print. It was something that shouldn't have been printed she lamented. And Mithun as the president of CAA was ever willing to help the damsel in distress. He stopped the interview from seeing the light of the day on the strength of his goodwill and good relations with the magazine. Only then did Sri heave a sigh of relief. Now she is treading with care. She doesn't want any negative publicity. Could it be insecurity that had the top actress running scared?

Almost as if to put the above question to test, the headlines of an afternoon paper screamed 'Sridevi's Brother Involved In Criminal Case.' No sooner had she heard of this the actress called up Manoj Desai to do something about it. And to do it fast. The director in turn used all his powerful contacts to get a retraction from the paper. The same evening a meeting was arranged at Famous Studios where she was shooting for 'R.K.R,C.K.R.' The right strings were pulled by the influential people around Sri. Matters later came to a rest with the afternoon paper carrying a clarification the very next day on their first page. The coterie also ensured that no other newspaper carried the newsy item. If any other actress had done this, it wouldn't have come as a surprise. But Sridevi? It surprised everyone. She is not taking any chances. A few months earlier she wouldn't have minded or reacted so strongly. It wouldn't have mattered. But it is not a risk that she can afford now.
Last but not the least in her career planning brigade, Sri decided to take a leaf out of Madhuri's book and began signing films with younger heroes. She thought what worked for Madhuri would work for her. And if her attempts were ridiculed and sniggered at, she had only herself to blame. She signed films with Aamir, Salman, Sanjay Kapoor, and the with an Akshay Kumar, worse, with a new producer and a new director. If this was not tantamount to feeling threatened then what was? But one of Sri's close confidantes explained, "Money, she is only doing it for money." But the flimsy excuse only helped in highlighting Sri's face-saving techniques. For, money she has enough of. And money has never been the criteria for her. And in finding ways to remain at the Top' she was unwittingly veering in the opposite direction.
For the film that she signed with Akshay Kumar, instead of putting Akshay and the film in an 'A' slot, has put Sridevi on a lower rung. Almost in a 'B' grade set-up with a hero to match. Even here, her purpose was defeated. Today, Sridevi finds herself in a situation where the Big B has found himself two years ago with 'Agneepath'. That Sridevi will always remain a phenomenon is a fact. But even phenomenons don't remain at the top forever. And when the time comes, they should retire gracefully. Sri should realise that when that time comesi she will have to step down. And the time is coming closer than ever. Even her producers have realised this and sometime back they refused to foot her five-star hotel bills. Something that has never happened earlier. Before the news became a weapon that could be used against her, the actress bought herself a flat in Bombay after ten years of staying in the city. Something she was very adamant against at one time. Of course, that she moved back into another hotel after some time is another story altogether. But the fact remains that very few producers are repeating Sri. After 'Gumraah' and 'R.K.R,C.K.R.' she has nothing to crow about. Meanwhile Madhuri has promising and prestigious banners - Subhash Ghai, Sooraj Barjatya, Indra ('Beta') Kumar, and J.P. Dutta - to name a few.