February 25, 2018: The Veteran actress Sridevi died due to cardiac arrest late last night in Dubai, where she had gone to attend a family function, family sources said. The veteran actress had an illustrious career spanning over four decades. Born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, Sridevi worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films before entering Hindi films.
In 1975 she made her Bollywood debut as a child actor in Julie. In 1978, Sridevi appeared on the silver screen as the leading actress with film Solva Sawan. 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. Sridevi went on to become one of the biggest female stars India ever had.
The government of India awarded her Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, in 2013. After working in Judaai, she took a 15-year break from movies only to be back to winning hearts in her second innings with English Vinglish in 2012. She was last seen in 2017 film MOM. The film fraternity fondly remembers this Bollywood Hawa hawai.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani have expressed grief on the demise of the noted actress. In a tweet, Mr Kovind said, Sridevi left millions of fans heartbroken. He said, her performances in films such as Moondram Pirai, Lamhe and English Vinglish remain an inspiration for other actors.
Mr Modi said, Sridevi was a veteran of the film industry whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances. The Prime Minister said, his thoughts are with the family and admirers of Sridevi in this hour of grief.
Mrs Irani said, Sridevi was a powerhouse of acting and her long journey embellished with success came to a sudden end. Many Bollywood celebrities also took to social media to express their grief. (AIR News)