Die-hard Sridevi fans in Dubai still in shock
dubai — Shafi Abubakker, a Dubai resident from Bengaluru in India, had planned his 38th birthday bash with his friend Hassan Iddya and close relatives at a restaurant in Al Qusais last night.
After hearing about Sridevi’s death in the morning, the die-hard fan called off all celebrations and spent the evening listening to Sridevi songs and reliving the charm she had cast on millions of fans for close to four decades.
“My heart couldn’t go out and enjoy. She was part of my growing up and I have no words to express what I felt when I first heard the news of her death,” said the sales executive at an FMCG company who even took a day off to pay Sridevi one last visit at the General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology in Al Twar, where Sridevi’s body has been preserved for close to 48 hours now.
Not far from the entrance, in the parking, sat Sunny Thandi, cutting a forlorn figure with a bouquet of roses and some candles. “I just wished I could see her once. Her films, her songs gave me the comfort whenever I needed in life,” said the visibly grief-stricken Briton who moved to Dubai just eight months ago to work as a lawyer for an international firm.
In the one year that Nireeksha Amin, an Indian homemaker from Mumbai, has been driving, the longest distance she covered was Monday — a roughly 8km trip from her Bur Dubai home to the mortuary.
“This one was for my all-time superstar. I had to do it. I didn’t care,” said Amin, 28, a mother of one and admittedly a ‘nervy’ driver on the road. “My driving is limited to my son’s school run — Bur Dubai to Mankhool. But today, I thought I had to go beyond that if I had to catch one last glimpse of my idol,” she added.
“As a dancer, she was unbeatable and her expressions will always live on. She was a perfect role model,” said the trained dancer.
Sridevi’s charm drew even Amit Miglani, 37, to the mortuary. “I became a fan of Sridevi after Mr. India but I grew completely fascinated with her after Nakabandi. It was 1990 and I was 10,” said the banker from Delhi, who even took a “half day” off at work just to be in time to say one final goodbye to his superstar. “I actually watched KT’s live update that said her body will be released within an hour. I drove like a madman just to catch a final glimpse,” said the father of two.
“Sridevi’s magic cast a spell on people across the border in my country,” said Pakistani Zarka Riaz, 46, who came to see the Bollywood legend one last time after work.
“It was her graceful persona and her versatile acting skills that made people like me swoon over her,” said the HR executive who has been living in Dubai for 40 years.
Sadly none could say a final farewell as the Indian actor’s continued to be held up at the morgue for a second straight night in Dubai.