Did you know late actress Sridevi started her legendary career at just 4 years old?

At a remarkable age of just four, Sridevi started her journey in the film industry as a child artist in ‘Thunaivan’, a traditional devotional film directed by M.A. Thirumugham. Even as a four year old, she had large expressive eyes, a natural affability and an inherent screen presence. Attendees of Thunaivan responded to Sridevi’s appearances in the film with rave reviews, assuring that this young girl possessed a exhibited talent and a capacity for histrionics that would propel her to become one of the most legendary and theatrical actresses in Indian cinema.

Before she came into Bollywood, Sridevi was already a fairly well-known actress in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films. As a child artist, she showed an impressive array of skills, confidence, and emotional investment in her performances. By her pre-teen years, she had already won a fair number of awards for her dedication and art, and was drawing attention for being a remarkably talented child artist, sparking all kinds of speculation about what was to come in her journey as a superstar across the spectrum of Indian film industries.

Sridevi's career started in Bollywood as a child artist in 'Julie' (1975) and her debut film as a heroine was 'Solva Sawan' (1978). These films introduced her, to both Hindi audiences and show a comfort level between regional films and Bollywood. Sridevi was quickly identified as an actress who had elegance, charm and range, and it paved the way for a career that would last over five decades.

Sridevi went beyond the cultural confines of Indian cinema to become a pan-Indian superstar. She acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Although her multifaceted performances and charming aesthetics lent themselves to the cultural milieu of each film, she after all - willfully - appealed to audiences all over the country. As an actor who worked across this country on productions made by several film industries in several languages and cultures, Sridevi's stature in Indian cinema as a national icon is unique, as no other actor has had or ever had, a stature as a uniquely national icon for Indian film making, at least to my knowledge.

Sridevi gained fame for representing women in complex and complicated circumstances. In her roles, she imbued complexity, depth, and authenticity. Movies like Sadma, Chandni, and ChaalBaaz showcased emotionally complicated women-- at once vulnerable yet strong, fragile yet resilient. She inspired both critics and audiences because she once again represented women--not as fabricated and glowing representations, but simply because she was sensitive to representation. This representation made women's character a lasting and documented experience for generations.

One of the first few leading lady actors in Indian cinema who could manage to carry a film alone without a male star's presence and sustain enough success and money to benefit big studios and producers was Sridevi. The actress could be so alluring and mesmerizing in a film that the audience just couldn't help but be drawn into their world. She seemed to transcend gender within Indian cinema. She was responsible for paving a new way in Indian cinema by setting standards in female lead films. She set the standard for female lead driven films while displaying that films could gain success through talent.

Over her five decade career, Sridevi appeared in more than 150 films. In addition to her towering Hindi films like 'Mr India,' 'Chandni,' 'ChalBaaz' and 'Sadma', her regional films cement her status as one of the many astonishing actors in India. In almost every role of Sridevi's, she demonstrated an absolutely different range - comedy, romance, high drama - which becomes part of our walker of the mind for all time.

At just 13 years of age, Sridevi played the role of Rajinikanth's step mother in the Tamil film, 'Moondru Mudichu'. Years later, she was his love interest in 'ChaalBaaz,' and she showed she could perform brilliantly in any role. Sridevi was also known for her complete metamorphosis, in an emotional and physical sense, for her performances, dancing ability, and her natural ability to be a comedienne. Together with her successes, these qualities made Sridevi India's first female superstar and a real film legend.