Close X
    Sunday, November 24, 2024
    ADVT 
    Bollywood

    State Honours For Sridevi's Funeral As Lakhs Gather To Bid Farewell

    IANS, 28 Feb, 2018 11:02 AM
    • State Honours For Sridevi's Funeral As Lakhs Gather To Bid Farewell

    Lakhs of people joined film stars and celebrities to bid adieu on Wednesday to the first lady superstar of India Sridevi, who was cremated here with state honours amidst outpouring of grief by her fans.

     

    Sridevi's daughters Janhvi and Khushi performed the final rituals before the body was consigned to flames in the electric crematorium in Vile Parle with husband Boney Kapoor standing by.

     

    The funeral, marking the final journey of Sridevi, who died due to drowning in the bathtub of her hotel room in Dubai on Saturday night, was one of the largest in recent times in Mumbai city.

     
     

    It started near her residence before reaching the crematorium after a three-hour long journey in a tall, open truck, fully decorated with white flowers -- her favourite colour -- with the body being draped in the national tricolour and carried in a glass casket, as cries of 'Sridevi Amar Rahe' by her fans rent the air.

     
     

    Maharashtra government accorded full state honours for the funeral of Sridevi -- who was conferred a Padma Shri in 2013, which included draping her body in the national tricolour, elaborate arrangements by the Mumbai Police and a gun salute before the cremation.

     
     

    Inside the truck was Sridevi lying serene with full make-up, a large south Indian style vermillion and wearing a ceremonial gold and maroon coloured Kanjeevaram sari. A heavy, large necklace adorned her since she died a 'suhaagan' (one whose husband is still alive), giving the appearance of a resplendent 'devi' (Goddess) in deep slumber.

     

    Her grieving family members including husband Boney Kapoor, her step-son Arjun Kapoor and brothers-in-law Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor were among those who travelled in the truck with the body.

     
     

    The truck slowly negotiated the approximately six km passing through some of the poshest areas of Andheri and Vile Parle suburbs, with a massive portrait of Sridevi visible from a distance.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Several lakhs of people including students, office-goers and others accompanied or waited on both side of the roads, looked on from buildings and bungalow terraces. Many climbed on signals and lamp posts for a last glimpse of their beloved heroine.

     

    In terms of sheer numbers, Sridevi's funeral is estimated to have attracted the highest number of mourners, ranking on par with the previous biggest funeral processions of the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi (July 1980: around a million mourners), and India's first superstar Rajesh Khanna (July 2012: a little less than a million mourners).

     

    The other big funerals of non-political personalities in Mumbai included those of Raj Kapoor (June 1988) and Vinod Khanna (April 2017).

     

    The procession was led by several family members, close relatives, friends and even neighbours of the Green Acres society where the family lived in Lokhandwala Complex.

     
     

    Among the prominent personalities who attended the funeral in Vile Parle were Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Randhir Kapoor and others who came to bid a final goodbye to Sridev

     

    Earlier, since dawn, thousands of teary-eyed fans and admirers of the late actress, many carrying flowers, had queued up outside the Celebration Sports Club at Lokhandwala Complex for a final 'darshan' of their idol.

     

    After the flower-bedecked body was brought to the club premises a steady stream of celebrities came in their vehicles and where whisked inside to pay their last respects.

     
     

    Among the early callers seen were Rekha, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Arbaaz Khan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Farah Khan, Nitin Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vidya Balan, Sushmita Sen, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Leela Bhandsali, Jackie Shroff, Farhan Akhtar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, John Abraham, Ajay Devgn and Kajol, Anupam Kher and Sulabha Arya, among others.

     

    In the past four days since her demise, the Kapoor household had witnessed a steady stream of visitors including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Krishna Raj Kapoor.

     
     

    Most of the visitors on Wednesday were sporting dark sunglasses to ward off the harsh early-summer glare, carrying flowers or small bouquets, embraced and consoled the bereaved family members, entering from the main entrance and leaving quickly from the other side as fans tried to catch a glimpse.

     

    Sridevi's body was flown to Mumbai from Dubai where she passed away following an accidental drowning in a bathtub in her hotel room around 11 pm on February 24, and from the airport was taken to the Kapoor residence in Green Acres.

     

    Meanwhile, Green Acres housing society on Wednesday cancelled Holi celebrations as a mark of respect for Sridevi.

     
     

    For the final journey, at the club and the crematorium, the Mumbai Police implemented elaborate security arrangements at various venues and arranged special traffic and crowd management measures.

    Prev Next

    MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

    Sridevi's Body Brought To Mumbai,Funeral Scheduled For Wednesday Afternoon

    Sridevi's Body Brought To Mumbai,Funeral Scheduled For Wednesday Afternoon
    The prosecutor's office said forensic report had stated that she had died from "accidential drowning" in her bathtub, after losing consciousness. The case had been closed, the prosecutor's office said. 

    Sridevi's Body Brought To Mumbai,Funeral Scheduled For Wednesday Afternoon

    In A Letter, Smriti Irani Pays Tribute To Her ‘Favourite Star’ Sridevi

    In A Letter, Smriti Irani Pays Tribute To Her ‘Favourite Star’ Sridevi
    Following the sudden death of Sridevi late at Saturday night in Dubai, Smriti Irani wrote an emotional letter remembering her "favourite star who defined joy in my childhood".

    In A Letter, Smriti Irani Pays Tribute To Her ‘Favourite Star’ Sridevi

    R Madhavan Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Says He Can't Feel His Right Arm

    R Madhavan Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Says He Can't Feel His Right Arm
    Madhavan on Monday took to Twitter to share that he is back on track. 

    R Madhavan Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Says He Can't Feel His Right Arm

    What Ended Karan Johar's Love For Holi

    Filmmaker Karan Johar has revealed why he doesn't like to play with colours during the Holi festival.

    What Ended Karan Johar's Love For Holi

    Shabana Azmi Cancels Holi Party Following Sridevi's Untimely Demise

    Shabana Azmi Cancels Holi Party Following Sridevi's Untimely Demise
    Veteran actress and social activist Shabana Azmi has cancelled her Holi party as a sign of respect to late actress Sridevi.

    Shabana Azmi Cancels Holi Party Following Sridevi's Untimely Demise

    Sridevi: 50 Years Of Living The Cinematic Dream

    "Arre, maine kuch achieve nahi kiya (I havent achieved anything)... Theres a long way to go. I feel my career has just started. Haan... let me tell you that," said Sridevi, laughing.

    Sridevi: 50 Years Of Living The Cinematic Dream

    PrevNext