Veteran actor Sridevi, who had an illustrious career spanning over four decades, passed away in Dubai. She was 54.
According to the family sources, the actor, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, reportedly died due to cardiac arrest late in the night in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding.
While some of the family members returned from Dubai after the wedding, Sridevi, Boney and Khushi stayed back.
Fans gather outside Sridevi’s house, mortal remains to arrive in Mumbai tonight
A versatile actor, Sridevi made her debut as a child actor in Thunaivan in 1969. Her first leading role as an adult came in 1976 with two of India’s biggest actors — Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth — in the K. Balachander film Moondru Mudichu . She followed that up Gayathri , Kavikkuyil and 16 Vayathinilie , with the last one being a critically acclaimed hit.
Bollywood debut in 1978 with Solva Sawan .
But it was only after five years with Jeetendra-starrer Himmatwala that she gained commercial success. Her beguiling eyes, scintillating screen presence and acting prowess soon made her one of the most sought-after artistes in the Hindi film industry.
In pictures: Sridevi (1963 -2018)
She went on a hiatus for 15 years after starring in home production — Judaai — co-starring her brother-in-law Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar. It was director Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish in 2012 that marked Sridevi’s comeback.
Her nuanced performance as a middle-class woman, learning to speak English to feel accepted by her family, won accolades, and the film was also a commercial success.
Last year, she was seen in revenge-drama — Mom — opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. She shot for a special appearance in superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film — Zero — which releases in December. Her last film in Tamil was the Vijay-starrer Puli .
Besides Boney and Khushi, she is survived by older daughter Janhvi Kapoor, who is currently working towards making her entry into the Hindi cinema. Sridevi was step-mother to actor Arjun Kapoor and his sister Anshula, who Boney had from late first wife Mona.
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