Sridevi in Judaai – the actress who turned greed into art, written by Shanku Sharma 

//Shanku Sharma//

When Judaai released in 1997, Bollywood was at a curious crossroads. The Nineties were crowded with family dramas, romantic comedies, and the larger-than-life hero formula. But this film, directed by Raj Kanwar, stood out for one reason: Sridevi. At a time when she was already regarded as the most versatile actress in Hindi cinema, she chose to sign a film where her character was far from idealistic, often selfish, and deeply flawed. That decision alone tells you why Sridevi wasn’t just a star—she was a performer willing to gamble with audience expectations.

The story itself is melodramatic in the way Nineties cinema often was. Kajal (Sridevi) lives with her husband Raj (Anil Kapoor) and their children, but she’s dissatisfied with their modest lifestyle. Enter Janhvi (Urmila Matondkar), a wealthy woman who falls for Raj and makes a bold proposition: she will pay Kajal handsomely if she allows Raj to marry her. The rest of the film unfolds around this bizarre triangle, with money, morality, and emotions colliding.

On paper, Kajal could have been reduced to a caricature—the greedy wife who sells her husband. But Sridevi gave her unexpected depth. She made Kajal ambitious but not heartless, vulnerable yet reckless, relatable in her desire for comfort but tragic in the way she miscalculates its cost. Watch her in the confrontation scenes with Anil Kapoor: she shifts gears between arrogance, insecurity, and raw regret within the same sequence. Her comic timing sparkles in lighter moments, but when the breakdown comes, it lands with devastating force.

By the late Nineties, Sridevi had already redefined what it meant to be a Hindi film heroine. From Sadma to Chandni, from Mr. India to Lamhe, she proved she could anchor a film as much as any male superstar. Judaai was her last big commercial release before she stepped away from films, which makes it even more significant. It wasn’t a safe, glamorous swan song. Instead, she chose a role that challenged audience sympathy and made them uncomfortable.

Critically, the film received mixed responses. Some saw it as too melodramatic, others couldn’t buy into the premise. But almost everyone agreed on one point: Sridevi carried the film. She walked away with the most memorable arc, outshining even Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar. Commercially, Judaai was a success, reminding the industry that Sridevi’s box office power remained intact right until she stepped back.

Looking back, Judaai feels like a fitting metaphor for Sridevi’s career. She was never afraid to take risks, never afraid of playing women who were complicated, contradictory, even morally grey. That fearlessness gave her performances a longevity few others enjoy.

When audiences remember Judaai today, they don’t talk about the outlandish plot as much as they talk about Sridevi’s Kajal—the woman who thought money could buy happiness, only to realize too late what she had lost. It was a role only Sridevi could humanize, and she did it with the brilliance of an actress who knew how to turn even greed into art.