The air outside Sridevi’s residence is heavy with grief as fans of the veteran actor continue to queue up to catch one last glimpse of their ‘Chandni’.
Sridevi, 54, died late on Saturday night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding.
Ever since the news broke out, Sridevi’s Lokhandwala home — where she used to live with her husband Boney Kapoor and two daughters Janhvi and Khushi — witnessed a steady stream of ardent fans assembling outside her house to pay their respects.
According to an Airports Authority of India source, a private jet is being flown to Dubai to carry the late actor’s mortal remains.
The aircraft which will bring Sridevi’s body is likely to depart from Mumbai around 1 p.m. and will arrive in Dubai at 4 p.m. It is expected to reach Mumbai around 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, no celebrity has visited her residence yet.
Two police vans have been stationed and the security, too, has been tightened to avoid any commotion outside her residence.
The actor, who started off her career down South as a child artiste, became a prominent Bollywood star in the early ‘80s with box-office hits such as “Mawaali” (1983), “Tohfa” (1984), “Mr India” (1987) and “Chandni” (1989) among others to her credit.
Her outings in “Sadma” (1983), “ChaalBaaz” (1989), “Lamhe” (1991), and “Gumrah” (1993) earned her critical acclaim, establishing her as one of the most sought after actors of her era.
Sridevi went on a hiatus for 15 years after starring in home production — “Judaai” — co-starring with her brother-in-law actor Anil Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar.
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 a series of 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 Ilayaraaja 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.
It was director Gauri Shinde’s “English Vinglish” in 2012 that marked her comeback to the silver screen.
Sridevi was last seen in revenge-drama — “Mom” — alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna. She shot for a special appearance in superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film — “Zero” — which releases in December.
