Sridevi drowned in bathtub of hotel room in Dubai

She became unconscious before her death, say police

Sridevi at the International Film Festival in Marrakech in 2012.

Initial investigations by Dubai Police and forensic reports suggest that veteran actor Sridevi drowned in the bathtub of her hotel room in the United Arab Emirates’s biggest city.

The police believe Ms. Sridevi became unconscious before drowning.

The actor’s body was yet to be returned to India till late Monday evening and her cremation is now likely on Tuesday, even as hordes of fans from across the country descended upon her residence in Mumbai as well as that of her brother-in-law, actor Anil Kapoor.

The forensic report was released to a family member, Saurabh Malhotra, and a representative from the Indian Embassy, that is supporting the family to deal with the legal processes and ensure a smooth return home of the actor’s body.

Police are trying to establish the sequence of events before her death.

“Following the completion of post-mortem analysis, Dubai Police today [Monday] stated that the death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment’s bathtub following loss of consciousness. Dubai Police has transferred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution (department), which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases,” the police department said in a statement on its social media handle.

Police are now trying to find out who was with her at the time of the incident.

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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“The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned,” local media quoted an official as saying.

An official source informed The Hindu that Sridevi’s passport was cancelled by the Indian Embassy in Dubai in keeping with the official procedure. Indian envoy Navdeep Suri offered support to her family.

At the time of going to press, Sridevi’s body continued to remain in the morgue. Once the Public Prosecutor clears it, the body will be handed over to the family, which will then take it for embalming before flying to Mumbai.

The cremation is not expected to take place before Tuesday afternoon.

Sources from UAE also confirmed that the Dubai Police had cleared the passage for the repatriation of her physical remains.

Published - February 26, 2018 10:02 pm IST