Famous Indian actress Sridevi died in Dubai after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 54. Hailed as the first female superstar, she was in Dubai along with her husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi to attend her nephew and actor Mohit Marwah’s wedding.
Sanjay Kapoor, who landed in Dubai on Sunday morning, told a Dubai-based newspaper that Sridevi suffered a heart attack at 8pm yesterday night. She was in the hotel room in Dubai when it happened, he said.
“We are completely shocked. She had no history of a heart attack,” said Sanjay Kapoor.
Born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, Sridevi had worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films before debuting in Hindi films. She had started her career as a child artiste, and grew up to be one of the biggest female stars India ever had. The government of India awarded her Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013.
Sridevi was known for her performance in some of the iconic films like 'Mr India', 'Nagina', 'Sadma', 'Chaalbaaz', 'Chandni' among many others.
She took a 15-year-long break from movies in 1997, a year after her marriage. She returned in 2012's ‘English Vinglish’.
The actress was last seen in 2017 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.
Her sudden death has sent shockwaves across Bollywood and fans started assembling outside her house in Mumbai.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences. “Saddened by the untimely demise of noted actor Sridevi. She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long-career included diverse roles and memorable performances. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, “Shocked to hear of passing of movie star Sridevi. She has left millions of fans heartbroken. Her performances in films such as Moondram Pirai, Lamhe and English Vinglish remain an inspiration for other actors. My condolences to her family and close associates.”
Priyanka Chopra was one of the first ones to pay tribute to the actress on the microblogging site. "I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved #Sridevi . A dark day. RIP," she wrote.
The veteran actor's death evoked an emotional reaction from Sushmita Sen, who in a tweet, said, "I just heard Ma'am Sridevi passed away due to a massive cardiac arrest. I am in shock…cant stop crying…"
"Gone way too soon…." tweeted Neha Dhupia.
"This is heartbreaking… Shocked, disturbed and saddened to hear of #Sridevi ji’s demise… Just can’t believe it… Condolences to the family… #RIP," tweeted film critic Tarun Adarsh.
Among other actors who tweeted about Sridevi's death were Johny Lever, Preity Zinta, Richa Chadha and Jaaved Jaaferi.
