Jaya Prada and Sridevi was one of the most popular actors of the 1980s, starring in many successful films together and becoming one of the most popular actors of Hindi cinema. However, behind the scenes, the two shared a long-distance relationship. Years after Sridevi’s death, Jaya Prada reflected on their equation, revealing that they never spoke despite working together for years.In her appearance on “Indian Idol 12” in 2021, Jaya Prada admitted that although she felt privileged to share the screen with Sridevi, the two remained rivals throughout their careers and did not develop a friendship.“We didn’t see eye to eye even when we played perfect sisters on TV. We all competed with each other, either in terms of dresses or dancing. Whenever we met, the directors or actors used to introduce us on set, we just greeted each other and moved on.”Both the actresses made their mark in the South film industry before becoming Bollywood stars. Over the years, they have appeared together in several films, including the Telugu hit ‘Devatha’ and its Hindi hit ‘Tohfa’, besides sharing screen space in ‘Mawaali’, ‘Maqsad’, ‘Aulad’, ‘Naya Kadam’, ‘Main Tera Dushman’ and several others.Jaya Prada also recalled a light experiment Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna helping the two actors break the ice during the filming of ‘Maqsad’. According to him, these former actors believe that forcing them to be together can lead to dialogue.“I still remember during the shooting of Maqsad, Jeetu ji and Rajesh Khanna ji locked us all in the same make-up room for an hour because they all thought we were going to start talking but we didn’t talk. Bollywood celebrities have finally left us,” he said.The veteran actor repeated the same story when he appeared on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show‘, revealing that not even an hour in the dressing room could get anyone talking.Jaya Prada was also moved by the memory of Sridevi, who died in Dubai in February 2018. Looking back, she admitted that one of her biggest regrets was not making the effort to build a relationship with her co-star even though they have been working together for many years.“It still hurts me and I miss him a lot because I feel alone and through the platform, I also want to say that if someone is listening to me, I just say that I wish we could talk to each other.Despite being away from the screen, Jaya Prada and Sridevi went on to direct a number of successful films together with Jeetendra, making the trio one of Bollywood’s most successful duos of the 1980s. Their collaboration included ‘Tohfa’, ‘Mawaali’, ‘Maqsad’, ‘Aulad’ and ‘Majaal’, among others.Reflecting on those memorable years, Jeetendra once expressed how much he loved working with both the actresses, saying, “I was so happy when they said that Sridevi would star next to me. I used to refer to Sridevi and Jaya Prada as my bread and butter.”
