Bollywood actor Sridevi died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness, the Dubai government said today, giving a dramatic twist to her sudden death that has stunned legions of fans and industry colleagues.

The Dubai government said in a tweet that the police have transferred the case to the “Dubai Public Prosecution” which will carry out regular legal procedures followed in such cases.

“Following the completion of post mortem analysis, Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment’s bath tub following loss of consciousness,” the Dubai government’s media office said on Twitter.

It is not clear what caused Sridevi, 54, to lose consciousness, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds. Her death, which was first reported at around 3am on Sunday in India, sent shock waves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how she could have suffered cardiac arrest at such a young age.

The latest report of accidental drowning only deepens the mystery surrounding her death. Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement yesterday to announce the death, and has requested the media to not contact them as they deal with the tragedy.

Sridevi is survived by her husband, filmmaker Boney Kapoor and two daughters.

#FLASH Forensic report says, #Sridevi died from accidental drowning (Source: UAE's Gulf News) pic.twitter.com/eWXdw1p1ZL

— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018

The Dubai-based Gulf News said in a report that the actor was under the influence of alcohol. She fell into the bathtub and drowned, it added. However, this could not be independently confirmed.

Gulf News also attached a copy of the UAE government’s forensic report on its Twitter handle. The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the “Ministry of Health UAE” and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.

The report mentions the actor’s full name, “Sreedevi Boney Kapoor Ayyappan”, her passport number, date of the incident (February 24, 2018) and cause of death.

“The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned,” Gulf News quoted an official as saying.

Her body has been sent for embalming, the newspaper said. It is not clear when the body will be brought back to India.
Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding, and had stayed back after the ceremonies. Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but he had returned to Dubai to surprise her, according to Khaleej Times.

He was reportedly in the room when Sridevi went to the bathroom to get ready for a dinner, according to Khaleej Times. It said Kapoor discovered her unconscious in the bathtub filled with water. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.

In Mumbai today, many Bollywood celebrities visited the home of actor Anil Kapoor, the brother of Boney Kapoor. Sridevi’s two daughters, Khushi and upcoming actor Jahnvi are staying at the house.

Among those who visited to condole Sridevi’s death were Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Tabu, Saroj Khan, Rekha, Rani Mukherji, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra and Aumpam Kher.

Police officials at Anil Kapoor’s house said as many as 150 people from Karnataka came to pay homage to Sridevi, while another group from Telangana gathered outside the actor’s Lokhandwala residence. Fans from Rajasthan and other parts of India had also arrived.

Before making it big in Bollywood in late 1970s, she was already an established star in South India with many hits in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies.

At Kapoor’s house, police have increased security and cordoned off the area to keep fans at a distance.

The last time I sat in awe looking at Sridevi was in a movie theatre that was playing ‘English Vinglish’. Strutting around the streets of New York in her crisp cotton sarees, she made all of us cry with her emotional speech at the end of the movie. I couldn’t believe she was the same Sridevi who had made us laugh our hearts out with her Charlie Chaplin act, two decades ago when I had first seen ‘Mr India’ as a young child. She was also the same Sridevi who had raised temperatures as she danced to ‘Kaate Nahi Kat Te’ in her blue chiffon saree in the same film.

That was it. Sridevi could be anything. She could be a diva one moment, she could be a goofy entertainer the next. 

© Yash Raj Films

© Narsimha Enterprises

Her solid-coloured chiffon sarees found much favour in mainstream cinema, and we saw the likes of Raveena Tandon and Madhuri Dixit setting the screen on fire in numbers like ‘Tip Tip Barsa Pani’ and ‘Dhak Dhak’ respectively. Much of our childhood awakening about the art of seduction happened through these chiffon sarees. 

© Narsimha Enterprises

With over 300 films to her credit, Sridevi had built a legacy – she was the country’s first female superstar. She was the female lead who could act, dance, make people laugh and fall in love at the same time. No one else could pack in as much talent and versatility as Sridevi did. From her energetic “Mere hathon mein nau nau choodiya hain” to the seductive “Har Kisi Ko Nahi Milta”, Sridevi was an effortless entertainer and charmer. She was the one who lit the screen. 

© Narsimha Enterprises

While her quietly brilliant performance in ‘Sadma’ won her critical acclaim and placed her alongside the likes of serious actors like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, her comic timing in movies like ‘Chaalbaaz’ and ‘Mr India’ made her a people’s favourite. 

© Lakshmi Productions

Here was an actress who was not afraid to look silly onscreen, who could contort her face into a hundred comical expressions, who was a refreshing respite from the conventional actress typecast either as a seductress or as a virgin mary. She was Miss Hawa Hawai, she was the unapologetically chirpy sassy female character – the bumbling reporter who managed to stand out in a movie that had a hero who could make himself invisible and a villain who was etched straight out of your craziest nightmare. 

© Filmfare

And yet, Sridevi managed to make her presence felt and the song ‘Hawa Hawai’ was immortalised as one of the most iconic moments of the eighties. In striking contrast to this had been her portrayal of a human snake in ‘Nagina’, fighting against the fearsome sapera, played by another class actor Amrish Puri. Her directors remembered her as a humble and diligent actor, one who after a day’s shoot enquired if she could leave for home.

© Narsimha Enterprises

In her films, Sridevi stood her own. In a male-dominated industry, she could overshadow even her male co-stars and was often paid as much as them. She left us too soon, and as the industry tries to grapple with the loss, we think Ms Hawa Hawai will forever remain the “Khwabon ki shehzadi” who ruled the hearts of her fans. Bollywood has lost its chandni.

Bollywood’s superstar and veteran actress Sridevi’s untimely demise has left a void in the hearts of everyone who loved her. Be it her family, the people who had the pleasure of working with her or her fans who worshipped her, this absence is something that needs more than time to heal. If you are a true fan, you’d probably know a lot about her already but in case you are intrigued, we have a list of lesser known facts about the beloved actress.

1. Sridevi’s birth name was Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan. She adopted the name ‘Sridevi’, and eventually was known by this name only all her life.

© Instagram

2. While many actors thought that making debuts at 16 or maybe 18 years was a big deal, Sridevi was probably born a professional. The gorgeous actress accelerated her film career at the mere age of 4 with the Tamil movie, ‘Thunaivan’.

3. For someone who faced the camera at 4 years of age, Sridevi took the humongous task of playing Rajnikanth’s step mother in ‘Moondru Mudichu’. Just FYI, she was only 13 years old at that time but still 9 years deep in the industry.

© RMS Films

4. Sridevi was awarded the Padma Shri in the year 2013, India’s fourth highest civilian award.

© Twitter

5. Not many are aware but ‘Beta’ and ‘Darr’, the movies which are now synonymous with the success of Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, were initially offered to her. However, she refused them since she was already doing a lot of movies with Anil Kapoor at that time and she thought that ‘Darr’ didn’t offer her much as an actor.

6. Not just Bollywood but even Hollywood loved Sridevi. Apparently in 1993, celebrated director Steven Spielberg really wanted to cast her for ‘Jurassic Park’ when Sridevi was already enjoying a superstar status in India. She politely refused because she felt the role wasn’t ‘meaty’ enough for her.

© Twitter

7. Since she wasn’t very comfortable with the language, Sridevi started dubbing for her own Hindi films with ‘Chandni’.

The actress was just 54 years old when she passed away  and her last movie will be SRK’ s ‘Zero’, in which she will have a guest appearance. While the film fraternity lost a superstar, Sridevi was much more than just an actor. She was a wife, a mother and a role model for millions of women in the country. We hope her soul rests in eternal peace.