Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actress Sridevi, who had an illustrious career spanning over four decades, passed away in Dubai. She was 54.
According
to the family sources, the actor, wife of producer Boney Kapoor,
reportedly died due to cardiac arrest late in the night in Dubai, where
she had gone, along with her family, to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's
wedding.
While some of the family members returned from Dubai after the wedding, Sridevi, Boney and Khushi stayed back.
A versatile actor, Sridevi 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. Her beguiling eyes, scintillating screen
presence and acting prowess soon made her one of the most sought-after
artistes 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 shot for a
special appearance in superstar Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film --
"Zero" -- which releases in December.
But by the time she made
her entry into Bollywood, the actor was a known face in South Indian
films. She made her debut in Tamil films as a child artiste with
"Thunaivan" in 1969. As an adult, she debuted in Tamil cinema in late
70s. She also worked in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films.
Besides
Boney and Khushi, she is survived by older daughter Janhvi Kapoor, who
is currently working towards making her entry into the Hindi cinema.
Sridevi was step-mother to actor Arjun Kapoor and his sister Anshula,
who Boney had from late first wife Mona.
PTI
