Sridevi dead, nation mourns
BOLLYWOOD ICON: Admirers express shock and disbelief; she was one of the most formidable actresses of the 1980s and 1990s and the only female ‘superstar’
Anupam Kher, Hema Malini and Madhuri Dixit-Nene and younger celebrities like Farhan Akhtar and Alia Bhatt — the celebrities had a sense of disbelief.
“I’m shocked and very disturbed. I’ve lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend,” tweeted Rajinikanth, who featured with her in the memorable “ChaalBaaz”.
Kamal Haasan, her co-star from “Sadma” — one of her most evocative performances — said: “Have witnessed Sridevi’s life from an adolescent teenager to the magnificent lady she became. Her stardom was well deserved. Many happy moments with her flash through my mind including the last time I met her. Sadma’s lullaby haunts me now. We’ll miss her.”
Her “Chandni” co-star Rishi Kapoor wrote: “Woken up to this tragic news. Absolute shock. Sad. Heartfelt condolences to Boney and their two daughters!”
Madhuri Dixit-Nene said, “The world has lost a very talented person who left behind a huge legacy in films”.
Her “Mom” co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui wrote: “It’s a heartbreaking news, can’t even imagine in the worst of my dreams — World loses the best performer.”
Superstar Aamir Khan was “saddened by the untimely and tragic passing away of Srideviji”. He said he has “always been an admirer of the grace and dignity with which she conducted herself ”.
Actress Priyanka Chopra offered her condolences to “everyone who loved Sridevi” and called it a “dark day”.
While veteran film-maker Mahesh Bhatt was “jolted” by the news of her sudden death, Sunny Deol, who has worked with her in films like “Sultanat”, “ChaalBaaz” and “Ram-Avtar”, said he is “going to miss her”.
Pakistani stars like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mahira Khan, Adnan Siddiqui and Ali Zafar said that she will live in their hearts and memories forever. With tears in their eyes, flowers in their hands, her fans had also flocked to her residence here to bid farewell to their “Chandni” while police officers tried to control the frenzy. Film-maker Anurag Basu also said that he met Sridevi five times only, and regrets meeting her so late in life.
“She was a great painter, full of life. The death news is unfortunate, and more unfortunate because she could not see her daughter making debut in Bollywood,” Basu said.