Priyanka Chopra unveils Sridevi biography cover

Actor Priyanka Chopra has unveiled the cover of “Empress: The Definitive Biography of Sridevi”, an upcoming account of the late actor’s five-decade career and enduring legacy.

Written by Dhiraj Kumar and published by Westland Books, the biography traces Sridevi’s journey from child prodigy to Indian cinema’s first true pan-Indian female megastar, spanning five languages and more than 300 films, according to a press release.

Priyanka launched the cover on social media on Thursday, coinciding with Sridevi’s birth anniversary.

"The one and only. You are so missed. Happy heavenly birthday #Sridevi

#Empress… coming soon," she posted on X.

The biography examines Sridevi’s rise to unprecedented stardom in a largely hero-centric industry, her groundbreaking performances and her influence on generations of actors and audiences. It also offers a portrait of the actor away from the spotlight and places her career against the evolution of Indian cinema.

“Empress” features seven forewords by leading Indian film personalities, exclusive contributions from Amitabh Bachchan and Javed Akhtar, and more than 150 rare photographs.

Karthika V K, Publisher, Westland Books, said it was a privilege to publish Kumar’s account of Sridevi.

“It’s an absolute privilege for us at Westland to be able to publish Dhiraj’s fantastic biography of Sridevi — it’s comprehensive, full of stories and uncommon details, and delivers on the promise of honesty,” she said.

Kumar said his personal association with Sridevi made documenting her journey a rare privilege.

“Having known Sridevi personally, it has been a rare privilege to document her extraordinary journey across five languages, five decades and more than 300 films. She remains one of world cinema’s finest actors and a South Asian icon who has touched over a billion lives with her art and movies,” he said.

He thanked Sridevi’s husband Boney Kapoor for his support and access to stories and rare photographs, as well as film personalities from Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam cinema who contributed anecdotes about the actor.

Among the tributes featured in the book, megastar Amitabh Bachchan describes Sridevi as the “epitome of unmitigated talent”, while Shabana Azmi recalls her expressive face, comic timing, dancing skills and star power.

Telugu actor Brahmanandam calls her a “rarest of rare actor” and “a boon to earth”, while writer-director Anees Bazmee says Sridevi “was the hero and leading force of her films”.

Sridevi, who died in 2018 aged 54, began her career as a child actor and went on to become one of the most celebrated female stars in Indian cinema, working across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films.

Some of her hit films include “Himmatwala”, “Mr. India”, “Chandni”, “ChaalBaaz”, “Lamhe”, “Khuda Gawah”, “Judaai”, “English Vinglish” and “Mom”.

“Empress: The Definitive Biography of Sridevi” is scheduled for a pan-India release in late 2026.