Sridevi: Bollywood, sports fraternity mourn first female superstar's demise

Known for her versatility as an actor, she had an illustrious career spanning over four decades

Sridevi passed away Saturday night, reportedly due to heart attack, at the age 54. Her sudden demise has left many people in shock. From Bollywood celebrities to sports stars and politicians, fans of Sridevi took to Twitter to express condolences for the legendary actor.

The actor, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died in Dubai, where she had gone 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 -- had not travelled with the family because of the shooting schedule for her upcoming Bollywood film, her first in the industry.

 

Minutes after the news of her death broke, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Sushmita Sen, Sidharth Malhotra and Riteish Deshmukh took to Twitter to pay their condolences.

The first one, however, was megastar Amitabh Bachchan who in a cryptic tweet wrote, "Don't know why, feeling a strange restlessness."

 

Unbelievable Shocking & Heartbreaking to hear about the demise of #Sridevi, one of the talented Actress of Indian Cinema. Prayers and strength to the family. #OmShanti

— Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) February 24, 2018

My condolences to @BoneyKapoor Ji and the Kapoor family. Deeply saddened to loose an icon like #Sridevi Ji.

— Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (@RFAKWorld) February 24, 2018

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

— Sidharth Malhotra (@S1dharthM) February 24, 2018

Heartbroken & shocked to hear that my all time favourite #Sridevi is no more. May god give peace to her soul & strength to the family #RIP

— Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) February 24, 2018

Oh, no! In her own way, she lit up the screen. Such a star! No age to go. #Sridevi.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 24, 2018

My heartfelt condolences to the entire family for a huge loss. Your contribution to Indian cinema will always be evergreen. #rip #Sridevi ji pic.twitter.com/5OD871JHxb

— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) February 24, 2018

Sridevi, known for her versatility as an actor, 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.

Before her entry into Bollywood, the actor had been a known face in South Indian films. She made her debut as a child artist in in Tamil film "Thunaivan" in 1969. She also worked in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films.

Sridevi's beguiling eyes, scintillating screen presence and acting prowess soon made her one of the most sought-after actors 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 also shot for a special appearance in superstar Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film, "Zero", which releases in December.

Sridevi was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013.