Sridevi leaves us at 54… nation plunges into grief

MUMBAI: Those expressive eyes are now shut forever…. That mischievous smile that sent hearts aquiver and lit up cinema screens will never be seen again. Sridevi — Bollywood’s first female superstar — died suddenly in Dubai at the age of 54 due to a cardiac arrest late on Saturday, leaving her family, her fans and the whole nation in shock and grief. This ‘Chandni’ left the world too soon.

The actor, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, had gone to Dubai along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding. In an impressive career, spanning five-decades, the actor ruled the commercial cinema space in the ‘80s and ‘90s like no heroine had done before.

In an industry dominated by male superstars, Sridevi reversed the trend by her sheer acting prowess. Her name, most of the times, was a guarantee enough for a film’s success. An extremely shy person in real life, Sridevi came alive in front of the cameras, playing a variety of roles. Such was her popularity that her style and dance moves would be copied by her fans country over. She was ‘Miss Hawa Hawaaii’ and ‘Chandni’ for them.

Sridevi started acting at the age of four and made her debut with M A Thirumugham’s “Thunaivan”. She continued acting in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films but it was her career in Bollywood that made her a household name in the country.

She made her Bollywood debut as a child artiste in 1975 hit “Julie” but continued ruling the South Indian film industry where she established herself as a leading heroine with films such as “16 Vayathinile”, “Sigappu Rojakkal”, “Meendum Kokila” and “Moondram Pirai”. In Bollywood, she made her debut in 1978 as a lead actor in “Solva Sawan”.

She gained commercial success with the 1983 film “Himmatwala” opposite Jeetendra, which also established her as one of the best dancers in cinema. She was grace-personified dressed as an apsara (a celestial beauty in Hindu mythology) performing on the hit track ‘Nainon mein sapna’.

The year 1983 also saw Sridevi give stellar performances in both critically acclaimed and box-office hits such as “Sadma”, where she played the role of a woman who loses her memory. Both she and actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan played the roles in the Hindi remake of their 1982 Tamil movie, “Moondram Pirai”. The climax of the heart-wrenching movie was deemed as poetic as the entire plot, with the song ‘Ae zindagi gale laga le’ as an ode to the philosophy of uncertainty in life.

Sridevi followed it up with a number of commercial hits such as “Mawaali”, “Tohfa”, “Masterji” and “Nazrana”. In 1987 came Shekhar Kapur’s “Mr India”, a film which was produced by her future husband Boney Kapoor.

Sridevi gave a memorable performance as crime reporter Seema Sohni. She was one of the few female actors who left the audience spellbound with both her comic timing and sensuality. How her undercover scribe transformed into Ms Hawa Hawaaii, thanks to her dancing skills in one of the popular songs, is one of the most memorable scenes of the film.

Owing to the cult status the song went on to achieve, the Kavita Krishnamurthy number has been recreated a number of times in films such as “Shaitan” and most recently in Vidya Balan’s “Tumhari Sulu”. And so will ‘Kaate nahi katte’, an iconic sultry number which saw the actor romance an invisible man in a song revelling in a neverbefore-seen boldness and fantasy.

Filmmaker Yash Chopra cast her in the title role of “Chandni” in the 1989 film, another iconic film. Such was her performance that fans came to recognise her with the name of Chandni. Impressed with her performance in the film, Chopra cast her again in “Lamhe” in a dual role, where she played the mother and daughter.

NEW DELHI: The vice-president and the prime minister led politicians and leaders on Sunday in condoling the death of actor and Padma Shri awardee Sridevi and remembered her illustrious career that spanned over four decades.

The 54-year-old actor, wife of producer Boney Kapoor, died late last night reportedly due to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had gone along with her family to attend her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding.

"Felt very sad over the sudden demise of popular actress Sridevi. She was an extremely versatile and talented film star, who had acted in Telugu, Hindi and other South Indian languages," Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by her untimely demise.

"She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief. May her soul rest in peace," the PMO tweeted.

Describing Sridevi as an incredibly talented and versatile actress, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, "Her vast body of work spanned a range of genres and languages."

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani, in an emotional letter published by News18 remembered the actor as her "favourite star who defined joy in my childhood".

"I pay homage to an actor who through her body of work ascertained that a female actress' place in a commercial Hindi movie is not only to compliment her male counterparts," Irani wrote in the letter.

"My memories of Sridevi are built through my journey from being a fan girl to an actor and then my role as a politician... She was a woman who knew her mind and despite the challenges that came her way, she approached life with a lot of dignity. The actor in me was influenced by her work in mov- ies like 'Chalbaaz', 'Chandni', 'Sadma' and the effortless performance in 'Lamhe'," she said.

The minister described Sridevi as the first female superstar of the Indian film industry, who shouldered many '90s blockbusters alone.

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 Jeetendrastarrer "Himmatwala" that she gained commercial success.

Before her entry into Bollywood, the actor had been a known face in South Indian films. She made her debut as a child artist in in Tamil film "Thunaivan" in 1969. She also worked in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said, Sridevi, who acted in Telugu, Hindi and several other regional films, had captivated the cine-goers with her beauty, dancing and acting skills, and had earned countless fans."

"It is unfortunate that Sridevi, who was still active in the film industry, died at a young age," he said in an official release.

Sridevi acted in several Telugu movies and starred in hit films opposite late N T Rama Rao, late Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and late Sobhanbabu.

Former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Telangana BJP president K Laxman also expressed their condolences.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said the actress, who came to the filmdom as a child artist in Malayalam, had left behind a handful of unforgettable acting moments which her fans can cherish forever.

The chief minister also said the sudden death of the actress, who immortalised several characters in different languages, was an "irreparable loss to the Indian film industry."

Sridevi's beguiling eyes, scintillating screen presence and acting prowess made her one of the most soughtafter actors 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.

BJP veteran L K Advani said her contribution transcended Bollywood.

"Sridevi was an iconic star of the Indian film industry. Her contribution transcended Bollywood, since she also starred in many Tamil, Telugu and other regional language films. In this sense, she symbolised Indian cinema s great role in national integration," he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the actor's contribution to the field of cinema will be remembered for a long time.

In his condolence message, Fadnavis said Sridevi started her career at the age of four and continued to perform with ease in Hindi films and movies in several regional language.

"Her roles in movies such as Sadma, Chandni, Lamhe and English-vinglish will be remembered for a long time," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the actor as "one of the most popular actors of a generation" while her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar said Sridevi's death had caused an irreparable loss to the film fraternity.