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.
Mumbai: Mortal remains of #Sridevi to be cremated with state honours. pic.twitter.com/OC64HUt2rv
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2018
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.
T 2729 -
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) February 28, 2018
"रहने को सदा देहर में आता नहीं कोई
तुम जैसे गये ऐसे भी जाता नहीं कोई"~ कैफ़ि आज़मी.
देहर - means .. the world .
Javed Akhtar narrated this sher to me at funeral of Sridevi .. said it was written at time of Guru Dutt demise ; but so appropriate for today ..
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.
Mumbai: Mortal remains of #Sridevi wrapped in tricolour, to be cremated with state honours. pic.twitter.com/2XtBcEPHuz
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2018
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.
PadmaShri #Sridevi will always remain alive in our hearts. May her soul rest in peace. #RIPSridevi #Sridevifuneral #PawanHans pic.twitter.com/DME9fT8ABQ
— India Forums (@indiaforums) February 28, 2018
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.
Paid my last respects to Sridevi. The entire industry was there grieving, some on the verge of breakdown. Such was her aura & magic in films. She lay there, beautiful in a red saree, serene in death & totally at peace. 😢
— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) February 28, 2018
“Closed eyes, heart not beating, but a living love.”🙏 #Sridevi pic.twitter.com/TDgJYy4qjm
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) February 28, 2018
Goodbye Sri. I met you as a young newcomer. Shy and reserved. And saw you leave as a Devi. All of us that were part of your incredible energy in your lifetime have been blessed. Sridevi #SrideviFinalJourney #sridevi
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) February 28, 2018
She’s Gone out of our World ...What Will Remain Is What She Contributed To our World ..RIP Sridevi 🙏🙏🙏
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) February 28, 2018
Sridevi ji has left behind a remarkable body of work. She was a people's superstar. She will live with us through her work, her songs !!
— Jacqueline Fernandez (@Asli_Jacqueline) February 28, 2018
RIP Sridevi Ma’am. I wish I could have been there to pay my respects. You will be missed forever and ever ❤️. #Sridevi
— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) February 28, 2018
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.
India's 'Roop Ki Rani' no more! @iamsrk to @karanjohar, Bollywood pays homage to superstar Sridevi.
— India Today (@IndiaToday) February 28, 2018
Watch more videos at https://t.co/NounxnP7mg.#ITVideo pic.twitter.com/jwvJ2duoAI
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.
#WATCH Mumbai: Mortal remains of #Sridevi wrapped in tricolour, accorded state honours. pic.twitter.com/jhvC9pjLMp
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2018
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.
#Sridevi funeral LIVE updates: Procession reaches cremation grounds, police struggles to control crowdhttps://t.co/Bh6CnTeKl2 pic.twitter.com/Iwa4Koaf7v
— HT Entertainment (@htshowbiz) February 28, 2018
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.
#JhanviKapoor captures last moment of her mom #Sridevi #RIPSridevi #CelebrationSportsClub pic.twitter.com/Mk8guzygzW
— VMusic (@vmusicmum) February 28, 2018
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.
