An icon, a legend and a mentor to numerous actors in India and beyond, Sridevi – who tragically passed away this weekend – was given a befitting final farewell as film stalwarts from all generations turned up to pay respects at the Celebration Sports Club in Lokhandwala, Mumbai, where her body was kept before cremation.
InMemory
A four-day media juggernaut ended yesterday, as one of India’s biggest cinema icons, Sridevi was bid a final farewell.
An icon, a legend and a mentor to numerous actors in India and beyond, Sridevi – who tragically passed away this weekend – was given a befitting final farewell as film stalwarts from all generations turned up to pay respects at the Celebration Sports Club in Lokhandwala, Mumbai, where her body was kept before cremation. Heavy security lined the streets to control huge crowds of fans, who chanted prayers as Sridevi’s body was brought in.
From industry veterans like Rekha, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karisma Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Kajol to several new-age actors including Deepika Padukone, Sidharth Malhota, Shahid Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor came to pay their condolences for the departed soul.
Ajay Devgn and Kajol showed up for a final farewell to Sridevi yesterday morning. Kajol took to Instagram and shared a picture with Sridevi saying, “You are loved, mourned, missed, remembered. And forever relevant! If cinema has a hundred years you were in 50 of them. Keep smiling!”
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Shweta Nanda at the prayer meeting. The prayer hall had opened its doors for the public as well to pay their last respects to the Indian cinema icon, shrouded in the Indian flag.
Hema Malini and her daughter Esha Deol also came to pay their respects to Sridevi. Speaking of Sridevi, Hema Malini said, “A beautiful girl, a wonderful actress, a lovely human being - Sridevi - has so suddenly been snatched from our midst. What is most needed now is compassion for her 2 young girls deprived of their mother and for her grieving husband. This is not the time to analyze the reasons or belittle her passing away. Let us instead resolve to bestow on her the dignity of death and show her the respect she deserves. We owe it to her.” Hema Malini was also one of the first people to tweet a reaction after seeing Sridevi’s body, saying that “she lay there, beautiful in a red saree, serene in death and totally at peace.”
Deepika Padukone returned to Mumbai yesterday morning to attend Sridevi’s funeral while Rekha ji (left) also arrived at the condolence meet.
Madhuri Dixit Nene took part in the final condolence proceeding with husband Sriram Nene. Following the news of Sridevi’s death, Madhuri had shared, “Just woke up to the terrible news of Sridevi passing. My heart goes out to her family. The world has lost a very talented person who left behind a huge legacy in film.”
