One's bound to be awestruck on
meeting the diva. A picture of elegance and poise, we're not sure what sparkles
more -- the emerald stunners that embellish her ears or the lady herself. Think
Sridevi, and the first image that comes to mind is her shimmying as Miss Hawa
Hawai... in Shekhar Kapur's ¡Mr India¢. Years after bidding goodbye
to mainstream cinema, a short stint on TV as the vivacious Malini Iyer, the
actress has finally decided to make a comeback opposite brother-in-law Anil
Kapoor in a sequel to Mr India.

So,
have the years away from the arc lights dimmed her passion for cinema?
"Absolutely not," shoots back the actress. "Cinema was, has and always will be a
major part of my life. It has made me the person I am today and I do not know a
life apart from movies. It's true that I did take a break for a while, but that
was to tend to my children and my family. Even then, I was always active with
Boney's production company," she adds.

Sridevi
started her career as a child artiste in the Telugu movie ¡Badi
Panthulu¢, and went on to act in a number of Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam
films. Her big break however, was when she was picked by legendary director K
Balachander as a heroine in the Tamil film ¡Moondru Mudichu¢, where
she starred opposite Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. Her next Telugu film
¡Vetagadu¢ opposite the legendary NTR catapulted her into the league
of big heroines.

Ask
her how the journey has been and she says, flashing a dimpled smile, "The
journey has been phenomenal. I have learnt so much from the many incredibly
talented people I worked with. Every day has been a learning experience and, in
a field like this, you have never learnt enough."

Tell
her that she is still considered one of the most beautiful women of Indian
cinema, and is truly a glam diva and she quickly dismisses the compliment.
"According to me, Rekha and Hema Malini are the true South Indian stunners. They
have style and poise that is unmatched. They set the precedent for us and I
don't think I even come close to these divas," she says
humbly.

So
what is her style statement and how does she manage to look like a million
bucks, in spite of spending most of her time running behind her daughters? "I
think that is the key. That's my form of exercise," she laughs. She adds, "My
style mantra is very simple. To me, comfort is crucial. Be it western or Indian
clothes, unless I am comfortable wearing an outfit, I will not even bother
trying it on. Fashion has to be practical and wearable; not outlandish and
loud."

Any
favourite designers? "I love Manish Malhotra's clothes. He is a very talented
designer, with an eye for detail. I also think that his clothes are very
flattering and he knows how to make a woman feel special," she asserts. As the
mom of two, she devotes a majority of her time to her family, but she has
finally given the nod to husband Boney Kapoor's sequel to ¡Mr
India¢. Prod her a little about the project and she says, "Yes, I have
agreed in principle to do the film, but it's too early to say anything now. It
is still in the nascent stages and nothing has been finalised yet. When there is
news, you will get to know."

Tell
her that brother-in-law, Anil Kapoor said that he needs to get permission from
Boney Kapoor to romance her and she laughs heartily. "Anil does not need
permission from my husband. We are one big, happy filmy family and it was
Boney's idea to do the sequel."