Bollywood veteran Actress Sridevi died at the age of 54 in Dubai late Saturday on February 24, just a day before her blockbuster film ‘Himmatwala’, co-starring ‘Jeetendra’, would have completed 35 years. Bollywood veteran 75-years-old actor Jeetendra, revealed that veteran actress Rekha was the original choice for the film and Sridevi's death has terribly shocked him. "We all know how it changed both our fortunes. Not many know that Rekha was the original choice for Himmatwala. But I guess Sridevi was destined to do the film - she bagged the role and the film became one of the biggest grossers of the year. And with it, Bollywood woke up to the magic of Sridevi. On February 25 marked the 35th anniversary of the film's release and it's tragic how she passed away just a day before... I was terribly shocked when I heard about her demise," Jeetendra said.

Jeetendra and Sridevi starrer film ‘Himmatwala’, directed by K Raghavendra Rao, proved to be a turning point in both actors Sridevi and Jeetendra careers. Sridevi had made her debut as a heroine in Bollywood with Solva Sawan released at 1979 but it was Himmatwala, which made her a star. It was a remake of Telugu film Ooruki Monagadu, starring Krishna and Jaya Prada. Songs like “Nainon Mein Sapna” and “Taki O Taki” were instant hits.