Sridevi wins Best Actress National Award posthumously

The late Sridevi was on Friday named the Best Actress for her role as a vengeful mother in the Hindi film "Mom". Her husband and two daughters are overjoyed and said the legacy of the "super actor" will live on.

In the movie, directed by Ravi Udyawar, Sridevi played a mother who sets out to avenge her step-daughter, essayed by Pakistani actress Sajal Ali.

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, jury chairperson for the 65th National Film Awards, told the media that his "Mr. India" actress Sridevi wasn't chosen for the honour because of his relationship with her but due to her contribution to "Mom".

Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor and daughters Jahnvi and Khushi expressed their happiness in a joint statement.

"We are overjoyed to know that the jury has conferred the Best Actor Award to Sridevi for her performance in 'Mom'. It's a very special moment for all of us," they said.

"She was always a perfectionist and it showed in all the 300 plus films she did. She was not just a super actor, but a super wife and a super mother.

"It's time to celebrate her life and her achievements. She is not with us today but her legacy will always live on," the statement read.

Sridevi died in February in a Dubai hotel, leaving the film industry, her family and legions of fans in a state of shock.

Her role in "Mom" was close to Sridevi's heart.

In an interview to IANS, Sridevi had said she was proud to be a part of a film which brought about social consciousness.

She was especially happy that the movie had made parents more conscious about sending their children to parties at farmhouses and made several girls become more careful about the car they sit in to return home late at night.

"People reacted very well and I felt good about it," she had said.

--IANS

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