Sridevi Kapoor, best known by her mononym Sridevi and a major Bollywood star, died Saturday (Feb 24) night in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of cardiac arrest. She was 54.
Her brother-in-law confirmed the news to the Indian Express. Sridevi and her family were in the UAE for a wedding, and she was reportedly with her husband, producer Boney Kapoor, and daughter Khushi at the time of her death.
However, a post-morten report released in Dubai on Monday said she drowned in her hotel bathtub after passing out.
Sridevi worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films before debuting in Hindi films. Her success led to other regional actresses like Jaya Prada to follow her to Bollywood.
Her career began at the age of four when she starred in MA Thirumugham’s devotional Thunaivan. She made her Bollywood debut when she was 12 in Julie, and landed her first adult role in the following year in K Balachander’s Moondru Mudichu opposite Kamal Hassan.
She went on to gain Bollywood success after her first leading actress role in 1978’s Solva Sawna and 1983’s Himmatwala. She appeared in numerous films throughout the ’80s and ’90s, including Mr India and Chandni. She took a 15-year hiatus beginning in 1997, but returned in 2012 with the blockbuster English Vinglish. Last year she starred in Mom.
Sridevi was nominated for 10 Filmfare Awards and won five. The government of India awarded her Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honor, in 2013.
