Sridevi Kapoor Dies: Bollywood Superstar In Multiple Languages Was 54

Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor, known simply as Sridevi to her legions of fans, has passed away in Dubai from a heart attack. She was 54 and her death was confirmed by her family, who were attending a wedding with her in that country.

Her husband, Boney Kapoor, and daughter Khushi were with her when she died, according to reports.

Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sridevi started acting at age four, appearing in the Tamil language film Thunaivan.

Part of her appeal was that she crossed over in the Tamil, Telugu, Malaylam, Kannada and Hindi languages, and was considered one of the few Indian females capable of huge box office without a male hero. She debuted as a lead actress in a Bollywood film in 1978, and starred in more than 150 films after that.

Her resume includes such beloved Bollywood blockbusters as Mr India (a 1987 film that certified her as a superstar and was India’s highest-grossing film that year), Chandni, ChaalBaaz and Sadma.

Sridevi briefly retired from the film industry in 1997 following the release of Judaai. But she made a triumphant return in 2012 in the English-language film Vinglish.

The Indian government awarded her the Padma Shri, its fourth-highest civilian honor, in 2013.

Twitter and YouTube erupted in mourning for the deceased star.

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