Bollywood Star Sridevi Laid to Rest After Drowning in a Bathtub, Thousands Mourn in the Streets
Thousands of people lined the streets of Mumbai, India, to pay their respects to an iconic Bollywood actress, Sridevi Kapoor.
The actress, known to her fans by her screen name Sridevi, was in Dubai attending a family wedding when she lost consciousness in a bathtub and drowned last week, Dubai police confirmed. She was 54.
On Wednesday, a multitude of people clogged the streets of Mumbai, where she lived with her family. Her body was flown home on Tuesday night in a private plane that belongs to Anil Ambani, a Mumbai industrialist and entertainment baron, according to The Guardian.
Her husband, Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor, released a statement on his wife’s Twitter page, writing, “Losing a friend, wife and mother of your two young daughters is a loss inexplicable in words.”
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my family, friends, colleagues, well-wishers and all of you countless fans of my Sridevi who have stood by us like rocks. I am blessed to have the support and love of Arjun and Anshula, who have been such pillars of strength for myself, Khushi and Janhvi,” he wrote, referring to his two older children from a previous relationship and the daughters he shared with Sridevi. “Together, as a family we have tried to face this unbearable loss.”
“To the world she was their Chandni… the actor par excellence… their Sridevi… but to me she was my love, my friend, mother to our girls… my partner,” he continued. “To our daughters, she was their everything… their life. She was the axis around which our family ran.”
Kapoor requested privacy for his family while they mourned, adding, “The curtains never come down on an actor’s life, because they shine on the silver screen forever.”
“My only concern at this time is to protect my daughters and find a way to move forward without Sri,” he concluded. “She was our life, our strength and the reason we always smiled. We love her beyond measure. Rest in peace, my love. Our lives will never be the same again.”
The outlet reported her body was placed on a raised platform decorated with flowers in a private club near her home as several family members, Bollywood stars and close friends arrived to pay their respects.
Sridevi’s body was dressed in a colorful magenta and gold sari with a heavy gold necklace and a large red bindi marking — a colorful dot worn on the center of the forehead. Her body was also wrapped in a large Indian flag.
The BBC reported the actress was cremated with full state honors. Sridevi is survived by her husband and their two daughters, Janhvi and Khushi.
Several Bollywood stars shared their shock and grief at the news on Twitter, including Quantico star Priyanka Chopra, who tweeted, “I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved #Sridevi. A dark day. RIP.”
Sridevi was known as India’s “first female superstar” as she was paid more than her male costars and was one of a few female actresses to play the role of protagonist, according to The Washington Post.