Sridevi died late on Saturday night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai.
Teary-eyed fans gathered outside the residence of the late Indian film superstar Sridevi Kapoor, in Lokhandwala, bracing themselves to bid adieu to the 54-year-old who died after suffering from a cardiac arrest in Dubai on Sunday.
Awaiting the arrival of the mortal remains of the actor, who broke traditional stereotypes set by the society with her roles, a group of domestic workers, standing outside the gate, echoed in unison their favourite movie of the actor being Himmatwaala .
It is quite unusual for an eleven-year-old to have a Sridevi movie as her favourite, but Preety Rambasanti, a domestic worker and a resident of Lokhandwala, has passed on her admiration and love for the actor to her child. “My favourite movie is Chandani . I have watched a lot of her movies. My daughter is also a fan now,” Ms. Rambasanti said.
The mortal remains of the actor are expected to arrive around 8 p.m. at the Mumbai International airport, after which it is expected to be taken to her residence.
Dilip Munde, a 50-year-old security guard of a neighbouring building, remembers Sridevi not as the famous Bollywood actor, but as a simple human being, and a loving mother clad in a sober sari, with no airs about her on her way to buy vegetables and fruits with her daughter. “Ravi, was the name of the vendor, and she used to converse with him in Tamil, calling him Pintoo,” he recalled.
Ever since the news broke, Sridevi’s Lokhandwala home - where she used to live with her husband Boney Kapoor and two daughters Janhvi and Khushi - has witnessed a steady stream of ardent fans assembling outside to pay their respects.
Veteran actor Sridevi passed away on Sunday. She was just 55.
Sridevi made her debut in Thunaivan (1969) where she played the role of Lord Muruga. She was just six when the film released. She would then go on to act in several films as a child actor, even winning a Kerala State award for Best Child Actor for the Malayalam movie, Poompatta (1971).
Her first leading role as an adult would come in Moondru Mudichu (1976), where she would be caught in a love triangle between Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. She would go on to star in several films with both the heroes - Gayathri, 16 Vayathinile, Johnny, Guru, Sigappu Rojakkal and so on.
Sridevi and Kamal Haasan in 16 Vayathinile
Here, Sridevi stars in Thulavarsham, a Malayalam film, with Sudhir
K. Balachander’s Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu (1980) with Kamal Haasan and Prathap Pothen and M.S. Viswanathan in the music seat would go on to become one of her most critically acclaimed films.
Balu Mahendra’s Moondram Pirai (1982), which was remade in Hindi the very next year, took her stardom to new heights. In Moonram Pirai, she played the role of a young woman who, after being struck with amnesia, mentally regresses to the age of a young girl.
Though she made her Bollywood debut in Solva Saavan, it was only after Sadma’s release that she began doing more Hindi films. Here, Sridevi and Rajinikanth in an image from Chaal Baaz (1989)
Chandni (1989), in which she plays the role of a woman wooed by two men, was regarded as one of Yash Chopra’s best films. The movie also won the National Award for the Best Popular Film that year.
In Lamhe (1991), Sridevi plays a double role - that of a young woman who Anil Kapoor’s character falls in love with and that of her daughter who later falls in love with Anil Kapoor’s character. The movie garnered Sridevi the Filmfare award for Best Actress that year.
Judaai (1997) was one of her last films before she went on a 15 year hiatus. This film was remake of the Telugu film Shubhalagnam.
Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish (2012) would be her first full-fledged role since her wedding to Boney Kapoor and the birth of her children Jhanvi and Khushi.
She played the role of Queen Yuvarani in actor Vijay's Puli, her last film in Tamil.
Sridevi was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013, the country's fourth highest civilian honour.
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Sources said that industrialist Anil Ambani offered to fly back the kith and kin of Sridevi and the body back to India on his private jet from Dubai. The aircraft has since left for Dubai. To ensure proper crowd management, two police vans have been stationed and security has been beefed up.
Sources informed that most filmstars visited the Juhu residence of Anil Kapoor to offer their condolences.
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