Born: August 13, 1963
Died: February 24, 2018
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sridevi passed away in Dubai in the wee hours of today after a cardiac arrest. She was 54. She leaves behind her husband Boney Kapoor and daughters Jhanvi and Khushi.
Sridevi’s mortal remains will be flown back to Mumbai today after post-mortem by Dubai Police and the body is expected to reach at 8 pm. Last rites will be held in Mumbai.
Sridevi was with her husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi at the time of death. They were with the entire Kapoor family in UAE to attend the wedding ceremony of Mohit Marwah.
Her sudden death shocked Bollywood and legions of her followers who reached outside her Mumbai house.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences. “Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Sridevi. She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted: “Shocked to hear of passing of movie star Sridevi. She has left millions of fans heartbroken. Her performances in films such as ‘Moondram Pirai’, ‘Lamhe’ and ‘English Vinglish’ remain an inspiration for other actors. My condolences to her family and close associates.”
Born on August 13, 1963 as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, Sridevi worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films before entering Hindi films. She started acting in the late 1960s, but her performance in Malayalam film Poombata (1971) won her the State award for best child artiste.
Sridevi made her Bollywood debut as a child artist in Julie (1975). Her first adult role was at the age of 13 in Tamil film ‘Moondru Mudichu’ (1976). Sridevi went on to become one of the biggest female stars India ever had. The Government of India awarded her Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013.
The last photograph of Sridevi along with her husband and daughter taken at the wedding ceremony of Mohit Marwah.
Her most remarkable films include ‘Sadma’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Himmatwala’, ‘ChaalBaaz’, ‘Mr. India’, ‘Nagina’, ‘Mawali’, ‘Tohfa’ and ‘Gumrah’ among others. After working in ‘Judaai’, she took a 15-year break from movies only to be back to winning hearts in her second innings with English Vinglish in 2012. She was last seen in 2017 film MOM. English Vinglish confirmed her comeback as one of Bollywood’s most treasured and enduring talents.
Sridevi’s most memorable onscreen pairing was with her real-life brother-in-law Anil Kapoor, while her most successful films were produced by husband Boney Kapoor.
Sridevi’s death has left a gaping hole in Indian cinema. The actor’s last film appearance will be in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Zero that will be released in December this year.
RIP