Film critic Sukanya Verma described Sridevi as "one-of-a-kind". She wrote, "Sridevi's biggest plus point is her ability to be completely uninhibited in front of the camera." Sridevi is cited by media publications as a fashion icon. Her taste in clothes was varied and ranged from stylish casual to opulently majestic. She made her debut as a fashion model in 2008. The actress modelled clothes for designers Priya and Chintan at the Lakme Fashion Week. The next year, she displayed the work of jewellery designer Queenie Dhodhy at the HDIL India Couture Week. She worked at Lakme Fashion Week again in 2010, and at Delhi Couture Week 2012, showing clothes designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
She has also appeared on the cover of several fashion magazines. In 2007, she was featured on the cover of Hi Blitz with the tagline "The Goddess Returns". In 2011, she featured on the cover of Marie Claire, and in 2012, she was on the cover of L'Officiel. In 2013, Sridevi appeared on the cover of Vogue, which was mentioned in Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and India Today.
Sridevi received the 'Ultimate Diva' award at the Ciroc Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards in 2015.
Sridevi's performances, acting style and technique have been influential and have inspired numerous actresses including Divya Bharti, Juhi Chawla, Karisma Kapoor, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif, Vidya Balan, Anushka Shetty, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, and Soumitrisha Kundu, who have cited her as an inspiration. In a piece for Time magazine, Priyanka Chopra wrote, "Everyone wanted her and wanted to be like her. She could be childlike, grown-up, funny, serious, beguiling, sexy—she was the ultimate actor. [...] She was my childhood, and one of the big reasons I became an actor."
Sridevi is one of the very few actors who was praised by her veterans, peers and the next generation actors alike. Senior actress Jamuna called Sridevi "an icon of South Indian film industry". Actor Salman Khan mentioned that the actress was "bigger than Khans, Kapoors and Kumars". Commenting on her acting style, actor Shah Rukh Khan noted that she was a "complete artiste", and that "he had learnt a lot from her". "You know she has this whole process of being able to see herself while she is performing", he said.
In the Telugu biopic NTR: Kathanayakudu, Sridevi was portrayed by Rakul Preet Singh.
In a highly exceptional move, the actress became one of the few people from the Indian entertainment industry to be accorded with full state honours usually reserved only for current and former prime ministers, union and state ministers. Sridevi was included in 2018 In Memoriam section during the 90th Academy Awards ceremony. On the occasion of Sridevi's birthday on 13 August 2019, Madame Tussauds Singapore has announced that a wax statue would soon be dedicated to her. The statue is a replica of Sridevi's look in the iconic song, "Hawaa Hawaai" from Mr. India. Her daughters, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor were present at the ceremony accompanied by her husband, producer Boney Kapoor.
In 2018, author and journalist Lalita Iyer wrote a biography on her. In 2019, author and screenwriter Satyarth Nayak wrote a biography of Sridevi. The book, Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess, was published by Penguin Random House. It received positive reviews in The Times of India and The Hindu, and was also reviewed in India Today, The Week, Mid-Day, Vogue India, and Firstpost.
Filmography
Awards and honours
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|-
!Year
!Notable work
!Award
!Category
!Result
!Ref.
|-
| rowspan="1" |1971
|Poombatta
|Kerala State Film Awards
|Best Child Artist
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977
| rowspan="2" |16 Vayathinile
|
|
|-
|Premabhishekam
| rowspan="3" |Filmfare Awards South
|Best Actress – Telugu
|
|-
|1982
|Meendum Kokila
| rowspan="2" |Best Actress – Tamil
|
|-
|1983
|Moondram Pirai
|
|-
|1984
|Sadma
|rowspan="3" |Filmfare Awards
|Best Actress
|
|-
|1986
|Nagina
| rowspan="2" |Special Award
|
|-
|1987
|Mr. India
|
|-
|1988
|Aakhari Poratam
|Filmfare Awards South
|Best Actress – Telugu
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1990
|ChaalBaaz
| rowspan="2" |Filmfare Awards
| rowspan="2" |Best Actress
|
|-
|Chandni
|
|
|-
|Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari
| rowspan="2" |Filmfare Awards South
| rowspan="2" |Best Actress – Telugu
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1991
| rowspan="2" |Kshana Kshanam
|
|
|-
|Nandi Awards
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
|International Indian Film Academy Awards
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
|BIG Star Entertainment Awards
|Most Entertaining Actress in a Social – Drama Film
|
|
|-
|Stardust Awards
|Best Actress – Drama
|
|
|-
|Hello Magazine Hall of Fame Awards
|Outstanding Performance of the Year
|
|
|-
|NDTV Indian of the Year
|Entertainer of the Year
|
|
|-
|IRDS
|Best Performance
|
|
|-
|Jagran Film Festival
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
| rowspan="12" |2018
| rowspan="11" |Mom
| rowspan="2" |Zee Cine Awards
|Best Actress (Jury's Choice)
|
|
|-
|Best Actress (Viewer's Choice)
|
|
|-
|Screen Awards
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
|GQ Awards India
|Excellence in Acting
|
|
|-
|Lux Golden Rose Awards
|Power Packed of the Year
|
|
|-
|Masala! Awards Dubai
|Outstanding Performance
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Filmfare Awards
|Best Actress
|
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|Best Actress (Critics)
|
|-
|Bollywood Film Journalists Awards
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
|National Film Awards
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|International Indian Film Academy Awards
|Best Actress
|
|
|-
|
|Honorary Award
|
|
|-
|2019
|
|Filmfare Awards
|Lifetime Achievement Award
|
|
|-
|2025
|—
|Filmfare Awards
|Cine Icon Awards (1980s)
|
|[https://www.filmfare.com/news/bollywood/amp-stories/cine-icons-honoured-at-70th-hyundai-filmfare-awards-2025-with-gujarat-tourism-78412.amp]
|}
Civilian awards
thumb|President [[Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Shri award to Sridevi, at an investiture ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 5 April 2013]]
- 1991 – "Order of Afghanistan" for Khuda Gawah
- 2013 – Padma Shri – India's fourth-highest civilian award from the Government of India
- 1997 – Kalasaraswathi Award by the government of Andhra Pradesh
- 2003 – Lachchu Maharaj Award
- 2003 – Vamsee International Award for her contribution in Indian Cinema
- 2003 – MAMI Award in Contribution to Indian Cinema
- 2008 – FICCI "Living Legend in Entertainment Award"
- 2009 – Special Honour at 33rd Cairo International Film Festival for Contribution to Hindi Cinema
- 2013 – Honoured by the government of Kerala for her contribution to Cinema
- 2013 – Ranked No. 4 among Bollywood's female actresses and was placed No. 10 in the overall list in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema '100 Greatest Bollywood Stars' published by British Asian weekly newspaper 'Eastern Eye'
- 2013 – Voted 'India's Greatest Actress of All Time' in CNN-IBN Poll
- 2013 – President of India 'Medallion of Honour' for contribution to 100 Years of Indian Cinema
- 2014 – Inspiring Icon Award from Sathyabama University, Chennai
- 2018 – Asian Award for Contribution to Cinema
- 2018 – 71st Cannes International Film Festival Titan Reginald F. Lewis Icon Award
- 2018 – Outstanding Achievement in Cinema at The Asian Awards
- 2019 – ANR National Award for 2018
- 2023 – Google Doodle released for her 60th birth anniversary