Legendary Bollywood actor Sridevi passes away in Dubai, she was 54

NEW DELHI: Veteran Bollywood actor and Padma Shri awardee Sridevi, who had an illustrious career spanning over four decades, passed away. She was 54.
Sridevi, died late in the night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding. Confirming the news, a source close to the family said, "Yes it's true. She was in Dubai while some of the other family members came back to India. We hear it's cardiac arrest."

While some of her family members returned from Dubai after the wedding, Sridevi, Boney and her younger daughter Khushi stayed back. Her elder daughter Janhvi did not accompany the family due to her shooting schedule.




A versatile actor, Sridevi made her 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.

While films like "Mawaali" (1983), "Tohfa" (1984), "Mr India" (1987) and "Chandni" (1989) kept her at the top in the box-office game, her outings like "Sadma" (1983), "ChaalBaaz" (1989), "Lamhe" (1991), and "Gumrah" (1993) earned her critical acclaim.

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.

But by the time she made her entry into Bollywood, the actor was a known face in South Indian films. She made her debut in Tamil films as a child artiste with "Thunaivan" in 1969. As an adult, she debuted in Tamil cinema in late 70s. She also worked in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films.

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.


Condolences started pouring in on social media as the news of the actor's death spread.

Priyanka Chopra: I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved #Sridevi . A dark day . RIP



Riteish Deshmukh: Terrible terrible news.... Am shocked beyond words. SRIDEVI ji No More ... RIP


Sushmita Sen: I just heard Ma’am Sridevi passed away due to a massive cardiac arrest. I am in shock...cant stop crying...


Sidharth Malhotra: Really Shocked and disturbed to hear that Sridevi Ma’am is no more #RIP #Sridevi 🙏


Nimrat Kaur: Absolutely devastated to hear about the passing of #Sridevi. What a dark black terrible moment in time. Gutted.


Rohit Roy: Been an hour since I recvd this terribly tragic and rather unbelievable news of #sridevi ji’s passing... still holding my phone in some kind of hope tht the news is a hoax or a fake 😢 RIP


Anusha: I just can’t believe it’s true... All my love & strength to the family. As gorgeous as an Angel & now amidst them. RIP #Sridevi 💔


Jaaved Jaaferi: Shocked and devastated. An amazing talent and my favourite performer passes on. A tremendous loss to the industry. “Bijli giraane main hoon aayi, kehte hain mujhko hawa Hawaii” RIP dear #Sridevi.


Akshay Kumar: Shocked beyond words to hear about the sad and untimely demise of #Sridevi. A dream for many, had the good fortune of sharing screen space with her long ago and witnessed her continued grace over the years. Thoughts and prayers with the family. RIP


Arshad Warsi: This is too sudden & unexpected. #Sridevi no more, just sounds wrong. So young and so much more talent yet to be explored... RIP Sridevi...


Kajol: Shocked stunned. Still see her laughing talking. Unbelievable. Actor par excellence. A school in herself.. learnt so much from her. Still can’t believe it . A huge loss. #Sridevi


Ravi Kishan: It’s shocking it’s shocking very sad very sad news #Sridevi no more ..I’m her biggest fan from #himmatwala to English vinglish n mom ..RIP


Tiger Shroff: Just can’t believe somebody so powerful and pure to have passed. Rest in peace #Sridevi ji 🙏 so saddened to hear this, condolences to the family 😔🙏


Shreya Ghoshal: Woke up to the shocking news about #Sridevi ji. In complete disbelief! Gone too soon. Rest in Peace.


Shilpa Shetty Kundra: I’m in a state of shock, can’t get over this heartbreaking news.Such a beautiful soul, may you rest in peace Sri ji . Will miss u terribly 😔#Sridevi



(With inputs from PTI)