Having married Boney Kapoor and then encumbered with the responsibility of raising two daughters, it seemed the talent of Sridevi would be lost forever. Manic filmmakers chased her for a bit — and then stopped their pursuit, unhopeful of her return ever. Yet, when in a casual encounter she heard from director R Balki of his wife Gauri Shinde’s idea for English Vinglish, the actress sent a word: “I am interested.”
It all happened very quick, and their bonding was established in the first meeting itself, recalls Shinde, director of English Vinglish. If she wasn’t comfortable, Sridevi would have probably been still sitting at home, looking for good scripts. It’s been over a decade that Sridevi was away from the arc lights. But when she returned, she was as pro as she had last left it.
“It didn’t take much convincing. Actually, Sridevi liked the idea. She had hoped that it would be a simple story and very moving at the same time. It was a perfect script for her to return with,” says Shinde. While writing the film, Shinde never imagined that she would land such a catch.
Before Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit — her rival during her time — had already made a much-talked about comeback with Yash Raj’s Aaja Nachle. It turned out to be only a warm-up for the actress who had shifted to the US post marriage. Later, she moved back to India for good and appeared as a judge on the reality TV show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.
Like Madhuri and Sridevi, other top actresses of the ’90s have also attempted a comeback in recent years. Karisma Kapoor, who returned with Dangerous Ishhq earlier this year, famously mentioned that she did not miss the movies while she was away in Delhi.
“I didn’t want to be a working mom. I knew from the beginning that my family was my priority. I did Dangerous Ishhq only because my kids were settled and I was comfortable to leave them at home,” she says.
Actresses usually are understood to have a short shelf life. Post motherhood, most take a break and return only when their kids are older. Likewise, Sonali Bendre also comes back with the Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai sequel but she has already announced that she is not interested in acting and may not want to do it in the future. On the other hand, Raveena Tandon who is doing Shobhana 7 Nights says that though she wanted to act, there was a dearth of good scripts.
“I found Shobhana 7 Nights interesting. It explores the dark underbelly of Mumbai and it takes place over a period of seven nights. It was something I hadn’t done before,” says Raveena. At the back of their mind, there is also this realisation that they cannot play the role of younger damsels anymore. “Of course, you cannot expect me to run around trees at my age,” laughs Raveena, 37, adding, “Those were different times. Fortunately, today’s cinema has changed and there is opportunity for all kinds of actors. Age doesn’t matter anymore, as long as an actor suits the character.”
Agrees Karisma, a fitness buff who remained slender and svelte: “It’s all about enjoying while you are there and then you have to step down. It happens even to male actors. Just that it is actresses who are often dragged into these kinds of conversations of about shelf life. I don’t see why age should be such a big issue. The best thing is to accept your age. I played Karisma Kapoor of 2012 in Dangerous Ishhq, not Karisma Kapoor of 1995.”
Comeback, however, is a term most actors dislike. Pooja Bhatt, who now directs films, balks at the mention of comeback: “What is a comeback? To make a comeback you have to go somewhere else first.” Unlike her peers Karisma and Raveena, she is not particularly interested in acting again, though she doesn’t mind if it is something that “touches a chord somewhere in me.”
“The general understanding is that I am not into acting because now I am a filmmaker. But I am open. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a dramatic role. It could be a comedy. I would do just one scene, a walk-on part or something if that’s exciting.”