Not Sridevi but this actress was the first choice for Bharathirajaa 16 Vayathinile

The 1977 Tamil film 16 Vayathinile remains an important milestone in the careers of all its stars and filmmakers. This is one of the rare films and the first to star two stalwarts of Tamil cinema, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, and also stars Sridevi as a 16-year-old girl , she is the protagonist of the film and talks about her vulnerabilities and challenges. This is also the directorial debut of renowned filmmaker Bharathiraja.

The film was hyped from pre-production stages as an experimental film and wasn’t expected to do well commercially. However, in addition to receiving critical acclaim, the film was also a commercial success, remaining in theaters for 175 days. It became a cult and landmark in Tamil cinema and even the Malaysian film industry renamed it Melati Putih.

Sridevi’s character Mayil is the protagonist of the plot and Bharathirajaa wanted a 16-year-old to play the role as the character is only 16 in the film. Sridevi was only 14 years old when she appeared in the film. That’s why she was not the first choice for 16 Vayathunile. Initially, director Bharathirajaa approached 16-year-old actress Nirosha Radha to play the role of Mayil.

However, Nirosha Radha had to turn down the film as she was busy with another project. Bharathirajaa then set his sights on Sridevi, who, according to Bharathirajaa, said that despite being only 14 years old, she had the “dreamy glow” that he imagined the character of Mayil to have. Nirosha has also appeared in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. In the 1990s, she became popular among children with the TV series “Chinna Papa Periya Papa”.

Back in 16 Vayathinile, the film won several awards including Best Director for Bharathirajaa. The film was also remade in Hindi as Solva Sawan, with Sridevi reprising her role from the original film.