Entertainer of the Year

Sridevi

A child star who became the first female superstar of Hindi cinema, Sridevi proved that she was the master of her craft by the time she was 17.

From her impeccable comic timing to her dancing abilities, few contemporary actresses could match her for talent and sheer star quality.

At the peak of her career, Sridevi had scripts woven around her character in films like Sadma, Chandni, Chaalbaaz and Lamhe.

Sridevi's co-stars ranged from Southern giants of screen like Rajinikanth and NT Rama Rao, to Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, to younger heroes like Salman and Shah Rukh Khan.

Among Sridevi's most popular films are Mr India opposite Anil Kapoor, Nagina opposite Rishi Kapoor, and Himmatwala, the film that made her a star, with Jeetendra.

Sridevi was one of late director Yash Chopra's favourite actresses, and was directed by him in the blockbuster Chandni and Lamhe.

It's safe to say that millions of hearts were broken when Sridevi married producer Boney Kapoor in 1996, quitting films till 2012's English Vinglish, in which she made a searing comeback as a simple housewife struggling with language lessons.

She received the Padma Shri this year, and has won four Filmfare Best Actress awards.