Yesterday, the ashes of the legendary and much-loved Sridevi were immersed in the sea off Rameswaram by her husband Boney Kapoor. It marked the end of a very long and difficult week that followed the news of the actress’s shocking death in Dubai on February 24, 2018.

All through this past week, even as her family, fans, admirers, fraternity members and the country at large, grappled with the terrible news, every bit of information was eagerly – made that, over-eagerly - followed! Tributes from industry members and an outpouring of grief was matched by an almost ghoulish curiosity to know what exactly happened that fateful evening.

While early reports put the cause of death as a result of cardiac arrest, further investigation confirmed it as a case of accidental drowning.

The delay in the repatriation of her mortal remains, even as husband Boney Kapoor was thoroughly questioned, led to further speculation. Even before that, wild theories began circulating, blaming alleged weight loss pills and plastic surgery for her demise.
The madness reached despicable proportions as certain sections of the electronic media attempted to grab eyeballs with ‘recreations’ of the scene of death, reporters reporting out of bathtubs, and conspiracy theories galore.

Feeding Frenzy

“Ludicrous, tasteless, misogynistic and tawdry” is how Barkha summarised the ‘salacious scavenging’ amongst some news channels in her article for the Washington Post, adding, “Above all, it is so unfair to the two young daughters of Sridevi, whose loss has been compounded by the furious scrutiny of their (fiercely private) mother’s life.”
The ‘sensational’ reporting sparked off a wave of criticism on social media. Several film personalities including Vidya Balan, Hema Malini, Renuka Shahane and Farhan Akhtar, also came forward to call out the TV media’s “graceless” and “insensitive” reporting of Sridevi’s death.

The Final Journey

Finally on February 27, the Dubai Public Prosecution approved the release of the late actress’s mortal remains to her family, “following the completion of a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of her death.” In a private aircraft belonging to family friend Anil Ambani, and accompanied by Boney and Arjun Kapoor, her body was flown back to Mumbai.

The following morning, endless streams of mourners poured into the Celebration Sports Club, adjoining the Kapoor’s Green Acres’ residence, to pay their respects to the late actress. Fans and admirers from across the country had lined up since early morning, some carrying flowers, others only their grief, as they came to say goodbye.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c31JgmW7YbY[/embed]

The mortal remains of Sridevi were draped in the Indian tricolour, as the government had decided to accord a state funeral to the legendary actress, complete with gun salute.

Late afternoon, the funeral cortege departed to make the journey to Vile Parle for cremation. Hundreds followed the white flower-bedecked vehicle carrying Sridevi’s casket, as hundreds more lined the streets en route, to pay their respects.

Finally, the beloved actress’s mortal remains were consigned to the sacred flames.

Requesting Grace

Following the final rites, a missive was sent out by the Kapoor, Ayappan and Marwah family, thanking all for their support and love during this trying time. It read, “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.

The one thing that helped us all get through these last few days, was the amazing amount of love and support from everyone — be it her many colleagues, to her innumerable fans, her caring friends and loving family, from across the country and the world.”

It also made a plea for all to envelop her daughters, Khushi and Janhvi “with as much or more love than we gave Sri so that they can live their lives ahead with a little less ache in their hearts.”

It ended, “To the members of the media, we ask that you respect the privacy of the family and allow us the space to grieve. Sri lived her life with dignity and we implore, that you give her the same respect.”

Boney shares the final moments

Yesterday, bereaved husband Boney Kapoor shared touching details of his last encounter with his beloved wife that fateful evening in Dubai. While Boney returned to Mumbai following the wedding on February 20, to attend an important meeting in Lucknow, Sri had apparently stayed behind to shop for older daughter Janhvi who was shooting for her debut film Dhadak and had missed the family wedding.

“On 24th morning, I spoke to her,” recalled an emotional Boney, “when she told me, ‘Papa (that’s how she addressed Boney), I’m missing you,’ I also told her that I was missing her a lot. But I didn’t tell her that I would be joining her in Dubai in the evening. Janhvi had seconded my idea of going to Dubai because she was scared, her mom, not used to being alone, would misplace her passport or some important document if she was alone.”

Boney had booked himself on the afternoon (3.30 p.m.) flight to Dubai on February 24, carefully keeping his plans a secret. The idea was to surprise her in her room at the Jumeirah Emirates Tower Hotel. Boney reached the Dubai hotel at around 6.20 p.m., Dubai time.

Sri’s surprise and joy to see him was absolute. “But she told me, she had a hunch that I would come to Dubai to fetch her,” Boney recalled amidst sobs.

After freshening up, he suggested that they go out for dinner. Sri headed for a bath, while in the living room, Boney surfed channels. Fifteen to 20 minutes later, he called out to her a couple of times as there would be a rush in the restaurants, it being Saturday. There was no reply.

He then walked to the bedroom and knocked at the bathroom door and even called out to her. The unsuspecting husband, hearing the tap inside on, then called out “Jaan, Jaan” still louder but got no reply, which was unusual. He panicked and opened the door which had not been bolted from inside, nervous but yet not at all prepared for what he was going to see. The tub was full of water and Sridevi was immersed completely, from head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he reached out to her but watching her motionless, he feared the worst.

Sridevi had drowned. Whether she first drowned and then became unconscious, or whether she first fell asleep or fell unconscious and then drowned, nobody will, perhaps, ever know. But she probably never got a chance to even struggle for a minute because had she moved her arms and legs in panic while drowning, there would be some water spilling out of the tub. But there wasn’t a drop of water on the floor outside the tub area. The mystery will remain unsolved. But that was not of much relevance to her near and dear ones. What mattered the most was this: Sridevi, the vivacious, beautiful and talented heartthrob of millions, had become the late Sridevi.

To Mama with Love

On her birthday, March 3, Janhvi penned a moving post remembering her mother and how she was all that Janhvi ever needed. The 21-year-old went on to recall how she would do everything with the hope of making her mother proud and now that she is gone, she promises to wake up every morning with the same thought - to make Sridevi as proud of her as she is of her mother. She ended the letter with: “I love you, my everything.”

In the accompanying caption to her letter, Jahnvi wrote, “On my birthday, the only thing I ask of all of you is that you love your parents. Cherish them and devote yourself to making them feel that love. They have made you. And I ask that you remember my mother fondly, pray for her soul to rest in peace. Let the love and adulation you’ll showered on her continue and please know that the biggest part of my mother was the love she shared with papa. And their love is immortal because there was nothing like it in the whole world. Nothing as joyful and pure and no two people as devoted to one another as they were. Please respect that because it hurts to think anyone would ever try to tarnish it. Preserving the sanctity of what they had would mean the world not only to my mother but also to a man whose entire being revolved around her, and her two children who are all that remains of their love. Me and Khushi have lost our mother but papa has lost his ‘Jaan’.
“Thank you for the love and support everyone has shown us in the past couple of days. It’s given us hope and strength and we can’t thank you all enough,” she concluded.

RIP, Sridevi. You will live on...