MUMBAI : After a lifetime under the arc-lights, Indian cinema icon Sridevi was on Wednesday given a send-off fit for celluloid posterity with surging crowds of mourners walking with the cortege as it made its slow way through the city and thousands more glued to television to watch her last rites.
Sridevi’s filmmaker-producer husband Boney performed the last rites at the ceremony. The couple’s daughters, Jahnvi and Khushi, were by his side, sources close to the family said.Sridevi’s body, wrapped in the national flag and placed in a glass casket, was brought to the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle from the Celebration Sports Club near her home in Lokhandwala.
The 54-year-old, whose sudden death in Dubai late Saturday sent shock-waves through India, was given a state funeral with her body wrapped in the tricolour and a gun salute by the Mumbai Police.The actor’s mortal remains were draped in a red kanjivaram sari with a bindi on her forehead.
The open truck that carried Sridevi’s body was decorated with white flowers, her favourite colour. Hundreds of people, many weeping, walked alongside the truck, which reached the crematorium after a three-hour long journey from the Celebration Sports Club.
The fans had started to line up early in the morning even though the gates had opened around 10 am. Many admirers of Bollywood’s leading lady of several years had brought with them her photographs, flowers among other things at the Celebration Sports Club at Lokhandwala Complex to pay tribute and catch a final glimpse of their favourite star.
The likes of Deepika Padukone, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Shahid Kapoor, Mira Rajput, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Akshaye Khanna, Farah Khan, Tabu, Rekha, Hema Malini, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Jackie Shroff, Chiranjeevi, Kajol and Ajay Devgn had arrived at the prayer meet to pay their last respects to film industry’s first female superstar.
Ever since the news broke out, a steady stream of celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Krishna Raj Kapoor, had begun to visit Anil Kapoor’s residence to condole the bereaved family including Sridevi-Boney Kapoor’s two daughters Jahnvi and Khushi.
The actor passed away following an “accidental drowning” in her hotel room in Dubai on Saturday night leaving a void in the hearts and minds of the fans. The Dubai police authorities took over three days to complete the legal and medical formalities before handing over the body to the family on Tuesday.
Thousands of people waited on both side of the roads, looked on from buildings and bungalow terraces. Many climbed on signals and lamp posts for a last glimpse of their beloved actress.
The Maharashtra government accorded full state honours for the funeral, which included draping Sridevi’s body in the national flag, elaborate arrangements by the Mumbai Police and a gun salute before the cremation.
Iconic actress Sridevi’s family have issued a statement after she was cremated with state honours in Mumbai on Wednesday. “The past few days have been trying times for us as a family. Today, particularly, has been one of the hardest. We laid to rest a beautiful soul who has gone too soon.
She leaves behind a legacy that is unique. Her talent was undeniable, her beauty unmatched and her ability to connect with the audience was legendary. Sri had the same connect with her family as well.S
tatement, posted on social media by Sridevi’s brother-in-law Anil Kapoor, his children Sonam, Rhea, Harshvradhan and other family members. The statement also made a plea on behalf of Sridevi’s young daughters, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor.*With Agency Inputs ).
