Sridevi died due to 'accidental drowning' in bathtub: Top 10 developments

The veteran actor, who acted in over 300 films and was referred to as the first female superstar of Bollywood, suffered a cardiac arrest late Saturday night in Dubai

In a new twist to the sudden death of legendary actress Sridevi, it has been revealed she died due to accidental drowning in her hotel room and that there were traces of alcohol in her blood, according to the reports published in Gulf media.

The revelation came a day after the media reported that the Bollywood icon died following a cardiac arrest on Saturday night and also led to delay in the repatriation of her mortal remains back home in India.

Her body will soon be moved to the Al Muhaisana embalming unit and will be repatriated to Mumbai -- where India's top stars and her legions of fans are waiting to have a glimpse of the mortal remains of their "Chandni" star, IANS reported.

Sridevi acted in over 300 films in her impressive career spanning five decades. She was in Dubai along with her younger daughter Khushi and husband Boney Kapoor for the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah.

The actress was declared dead by the paramedics who visited the site soon after.

Meanwhile, her fans have started gathering outside her Mumbai residence to catch the last glimpse of the superstar. Considering the situation, security has been enhanced outside her residence.

Celebrities including Rajnikanth, Sonam Kapoor and Anil Kapoor, are rushing to Mumbai to attend the last rites of Sridevi.

Here are the top 10 developments since the death of the legendary actor:
 

1.  Autopsy report: The forensic report by UAE's health ministry on Monday reveals that the actress's cause of death was an accidental drowning. According to UAE's Gulf News, Sridevi was under the influence of alcohol in her hotel room when she lost her balance, fell into the bathtub and drowned. She was immediately rushed to Rashid Hospital in Dubai. 

2. Funeral to be delayed: Sridevi's funeral might not take place before sunset, according to Khaleej Times. Officials from the Indian consulate have told the daily that Sridevi's body will be ready for repatriation by 1 to 2 pm, Dubai time (3.30 pm IST). The process will take 3 to 4 hours after police clearance.

3. Rajinikanth arrives in Mumbai: Superstar Rajinikanth has arrived Mumbai to attend the last rites of his 'dear friend'.

4. How it happened: Sridevi was getting ready for a dinner with husband Boney Kapoor in Dubai when she lost her consciousness and fell into the bathtub. Earlier, Khaleej Times reported that the actress suffered a cardiac arrest in their hotel room.

Boney Kapoor, when she did not return for 15 minutes, knocked at the door and later forced open the door to discover Sridevi lying motionless in the bathtub filled with water. The actress was declared dead by the paramedics who visited the site soon after.

5. Fans outside Sridevi's residence: Fans of the actress have gathered outside her residence since yesterday. As seen in the latest images posted by ANI, people in large numbers are standing outside the actress' Mumbai residence.

6. Mortal remains to arrive in Anil Ambani's aircraft: Anil Ambani, one of the industry captains of India Inc, has sent his 13-seater private jet to Dubai to bring back the Bollywood actor's body. "It is expected to return with the body and the immediate bereaved family members late tonight," a source earlier told IANS.

7. India's first female superstar: Sridevi started her career as a child actor when she was all of four. She made her debut with M A Thirumugham's Tamil flick Thunaivan and continued acting in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films before making her Bollywood debut. Although she had featured as a child artiste in the 1975 hit Julie, her first Bollywood film as an adult was Solva Sawan. The film fared poorly and she was written off in Bollywood for the next three years until she was relaunched in Himmatwala in 1981. There was no looking back thereafter.

Chandni, as she was referred to after the success of her movie by the same name, ruled the commercial cinema space in the 1980s and '90s like no other female actress had done before.

After her marriage to Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor, Sridevi slowed down her career but returned with a bang in 2012 with English Vinglish.

8. No history of heart ailment: Sridevi's brother-in-law and actor Sanjay Kapoor expressed shock over her sudden death, saying she had no history of heart attacks. "We are completely shocked. She had no history of a heart attack," Sanjay told Khaleej Times in an interview.

9. Amitabh saw it coming? Minutes before the news of Sridevi's death broke out, her Khuda Gawah co-star Amitabh Bachchan tweeted saying he was feeling uneasy. His tweet left the Twitterati wondering if Bachchan had the premonition about her death.

10. Pakistan film actors pay tribute: Pakistani film stars, including Mahira Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Zafar, condoled the death of the legendary film star saying that she will live in their hearts and memories forever.
 

'Shocking and heartbreaking'

Among her fans who expressed their disbelief and shock on social media were Bollywood celebrities, political leaders and sportspersons. Several of them had either worked with her or known her personally. They, along with her fans worldwide, took to Twitter to express their condolences and shock over her sudden demise.

 

Union minister for Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani penned down an emotional letter remembering her "favourite star who defined joy in my childhood". "I pay homage to an actor who through her body of work ascertained that a female actress' place in a commercial Hindi movie is not only to complement her male counterparts," Irani wrote in the letter.