Vikram Phukan a playwright and stage critic talks about the late veteran actress Sridevi
English Vinglish
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The cult following commanded by Sridevi amongst gay men was well-known within the community. Her passing will be mourned by legions of outsiders who had a special connection with her. In Nagina (1986), Sridevi played a nagin and that writhing dance proved she had the courage of her contortions. The dance that epitomised the masala cinema genre saw the cementing of the label of gay icon, born out of the screen persona so quintessentially Sri.
Magic mantra
Sridevi was unlike the other tragic figures that held gay men in thrall, like Meena Kumari or Judy Garland. Her magic lay elsewhere. In Mr India (1987), she carried off the flamboyant Ms Hawa Hawaai, replete with ostrich feathers, gold lame gown looking like body paint, and over-the-top make up, with a chutzpah that was all her own. This sartorial sacrilege was actually homage to Sridevi; it threw into sharp relief her obvious talents, an enviable sense of comic timing and the artistic courage to self-deprecate - a quality in short supply on our screens, but certainly striking a chord with gay men.
Drag queens
Indian drag queens were used to copying mujras a la Rekha or Madhuri Dixit's dhak-dhak style, yet were hard put when it came to copying Sridevi's style because the presence she brought to the screen was difficult to replicate. It was not just the song-and-dance of Sridevi that drew a collective sigh from the gay men. When slapped by Anil Kapoor in Lamhe (1991), she broke into an exercise video. Haranguing relatives in Chaalbaaz (1989) were at the receiving end of a terrific tandav, with her 'accidentally' slapping her oppressor. Those who had endured years of stereotypical tropes like half-wit characters on celluloid or reduced to debauched caricatures, cheered because it was against the grain of what actresses on the Indian screen had long portrayed. They took heart in that because they knew that their time too would come.
English Vinglish
A hiatus from screen was filled by the Hawa Hawaai songs played at LGBT bashes, and dapper men continued to step warily out of the way as gay men writhed to 'Nagin' movements at parties. But to the gay man's delight, Sri re-surfaced in English Vinglish (2012). As the actress' Shashi sat demurely next to Amitabh Bachchan in her first international flight, her legion of fans took a trip back in time of the two actors in Khuda Gawah, on a horseback chase, hoping to land the prize of a goat carcass.
Alternate icon
It didn't matter if it was black or white, all that mattered was that it was Sridevi when she broke into an impromptu Michael Jackson jig. If there were still some questions about why the gay men were in her corner, that should have dissipated when in one scene, a character at the language class Shashi attends, spews off on the off-hand attitude gay men have towards relationships. She interrupts him and her sermon on inclusiveness seemed like the ultimate affirmation for millions of gay fans. As the curtain falls, signifying a cinematic and real 'The End', there is little doubt that her legacy as an alternative icon will live on.
Vikram Phukan is a playwright and stage critic
Also Read: Navjot Singh Sidhu terms Sridevi's death as irreparable loss
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