Sunday mornings usually bring joy and excitement. But last Sunday (Februrary 25, 2018) left the entire nation grief-stricken. The film fraternity woke up to the news of the sudden and untimely demise of the versatile and veteran actress, Sridevi.
This tragic event came as a major shock for Bollywood and for all those who have been ardent followers of this iconic superstar. She succumbed to cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she was attending a family wedding.
The Bollywood diva, renowned for her naturalistic acting abilities, awesome comic timing and graceful dancing skills, along with being the ‘queen of the box-office’ had many critically acclaimed films to her name. She could shoulder any kind of role and perform it with panache, and had the potential to steer a movie’s commercial fate on her own merit.
Sridevi made her debut as a child actor in “Thunaivan” in 1969. Her first leading role as an adult came in 1976 with two of India’s biggest actors, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in the K. Balachander film “Moondru Mudichu”. In 1978, she took her first step in the Bollywood film industry with “Solva Sawan”. But it was only after five years with the Jeetendra-starrer “Himmatwala” that she gained commercial success. After that, she never looked back. She climbed ahead on the ladder of success, ultimately transforming herself from being an ‘actor’ to a ‘legend’. Her comeback ventures like “English Vinglish” and “Mom” proved that the long hiatus from cinema had not crippled her style or grace.
Kamal Haasan, her co-star in “Sadma”, mourned her death.
Have witnessed Sridevi's life from an adolescent teenager to the magnificeint 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
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 25, 2018
As reported by NDTV, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said, “With Sridevi gone, an era is over.”
The multilingual star who garnered millions of fans through her extraordinary works was amazingly talented and known for her meticulous stagecraft.
“She will be in the textbooks of Indian cinema; Sridevi was a complete actor in her own right, flawless and dignified,” said Subhash Ghai, who directed her in “Karma” in 1986, when Sridevi was still finding her foothold in Bollywood.
She starred in some of the biggest hits of the 1980s and the 1990s and her name was enough in those days. Her brilliant acting skills conquered several hearts. She had a charismatic presence on and off the screen, and this made her really unique. In a nutshell, she was a veritable lady superstar. It is really tough to see such a legend again.
She left us on the far end of the memory lane from where it takes quite a time to return. She will be severely missed as she had much more to offer. It was totally unexpected that she would exit the stage in such a sudden manner. She was one of the precious jewels in the ‘treasure box’ of Indian cinema.
Though her death is an irretrievable loss and has created a void that cannot be filled, it can’t be denied that she will always remain alive in our minds and memories since ‘Sridevi’ is not merely a name – instead, it is a legacy for the ‘golden-era’ of Bollywood.