DUBAI: India’s most popular actress Sridevi dies of a heart attack in Dubai on late Saturday night. She was 54.
She was in UAE for a family wedding in Ras Al Khaimah, with her husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi Kapoor. Millions of fans have been shocked over her sudden death in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries of the world. Pakistani artists Mahira Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ahmed Ali Butt and Saba Qamar have expressed sorrow and grief over the her demise by posted condolence messages on Twitter and Instagram.
Sridevi’s career spanned nearly three decades till she took a break in 1997. In 2012, Sridevi returned to films after a 15-year-long hiatus with English Vinglish. 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.
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 great acclaim.
Sridevi was an Indian actress and film producer who starred in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films. She was Indian cinema’s influential and popular female superstar. Sri Devi was the recipient of five Filmfare Awards. Sridevi ranked amongst the highest-paid actors in the 1980s and 1990s and was considered to be the most popular actress of the era.
Sridevi started her career as a child artist in MA Thirumugam’s 1969 devotional film Thunaivan at the age of four, and continued to act as a child artist in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her Bollywood debut as a child artist in Julie (1975) and played her first adult role at age 13 with the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu (1976). Sridevi established herself as one of the leading actresses of Tamil and Telugu cinema, with leading roles in 16 Vayathinile (1977), Sigappu Rojakkal (1978), Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980), Meendum Kokila (1981), Premabhishekam (1981), Moondram Pirai (1982), Aakhari Poratam (1988), Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari (1990) and Kshana Kshanam (1991).
Sridevi’s first starring role in Hindi cinema came with the 1979 drama film Solva Sawan, and gained wide attention with the 1983 production Himmatwala. She went on appear in a series of commercially successful films, including Mawaali (1983), Tohfa (1984), Naya Kadam (1984), Maqsad (1984), Masterji (1985), Nazrana (1987), Mr. India (1987), Waqt Ki Awaz (1988) and Chandni (1989). She also received praise for such films as Sadma (1983), Nagina (1986), ChaalBaaz (1989), Lamhe (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Gumrah (1993), Laadla (1994) and Judaai (1997). Following the role of the titular protagonist in the television sitcom Malini Iyer (2004–2005), Sridevi returned to film acting in 2012 with the successful comedy-drama English Vinglish. She then starred in her 300th film role in the 2017 thriller Mom. She earned critical acclaim ?for her performances in both films.
In 2013, the Government of India awarded Sridevi the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian accolade for her contributions to the entertainment industry. Honorary awards were also conferred on her by the state governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Sridevi was also voted ‘India’s Greatest Actress in 100 Years’ in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted in 2013 on the occasion of the centenary of Indian cinema. She was married to the film producer Boney Kapoor, with whom she had two children. Sridevi died of a cardiac arrest in February 2018.
Sridevi’s first release of 1977 was Gayathri, followed by Kavikkuyil and 16 Vayathinile, where she played the role of a young girl who is caught between her two lovers. She also starred in the movie’s Telugu remake Padaharella Vayasu in 1978. Her subsequent notable films included Bharathi Raja’s Sigappu Rojakkal, SP. Muthuraman’s Priya, Karthika Deepam, Johnny, Varumayin Niram Sivappu and Aakali Rajyam.She acted with N.T.Rama Rao in Bobbili Puli, Justice Chowdhary and Aatagadu. She acted alongside Sivaji Ganesan in Sandhippu, Kavari Mann and Pilot Premnath.
In 1981, she starred in the Tamil film Meendum Kokila which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil. In 1982, Sridevi starred in Moondram Pirai playing a woman suffering from amnesia and went on to win the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress.
Sridevi’s notable Telugu films include Konda Veeti Simham, Kshana Kshanam, Vetagadu, Sardar Paparayudu and Bobbili Puli. With A. Nageswara Rao, she appeared in movies such as Mudulla Koduku, Premabhishekham, Bangaru Kanuka and Premakanuka as well as with Krishna in Kanchu Kagada, Kalavari Samsaram, Krishnavatharam, Burripalem Bolludu, Khaidi Rudrayya. She acted with Cheeranjeevi in Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari, S. P. Parasuram.
Sridevi had successful pairing with Rajesh Khanna in films such as Naya Kadam (1984), Maqsad (1984), Masterji (1985) and Nazrana (1987). In 1992, Sridevi starred in the epic Khuda Gawah opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Sridevi was declared the most-admired Bollywood actress of 2012 in a mobile survey conducted by Vuclip, the world’s largest mobile research company.