The 'Chandni' of Bollywood left the world too soon. Sridevi's sudden death at the age of 54 in Dubai has left family and fans in shock and grief.
The news of her death, first reported around 3am on Sunday, sent shock waves across the country with those who knew her at a loss to explain how the star, who was present at her nephew's wedding function in Dubai, could suddenly die.
Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement to announce the death and has requested the media not to contact them as they grapple with the tragedy.
However, in a dramatic twist, Dubai government on Monday revealed that the actor had "died of accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub after losing consciousness".
It is not clear what caused the actor to lose consciousness, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds.
Sridevi's death isn't an isolated case. Over the years, from Divya Bharati to Viveka Babajee, the film industry has seen several actresses and models die under mysterious circumstances.
Divya Bharati (1974-93)
Sridevi and Divya BharatiLike Sridevi, Divya's mysterious death shocked the nation in 1993. Divya and Sridevi were known for their beauty in B-town. Divya even had resemblance to Sridevi. Divya's birth anniversary falls on February 25 – the day Sridevi died. At the age of 19, Divya fell off the balcony of husband Sajid Nadiadwala's apartment after getting drunk. She was working in the film Laadla at that time. After the death, the role was offered to Sridevi. In Laadla, Sridevi became a lead actress along with Anil Kapoor and Raveena Tondon.
Nafisa Joseph (1978-2004)
Death came too soon for beauty queen-turned-VJ/actress Nafisa Joseph when she committed suicide by hanging in her apartment in Mumbai on July 29, 2004. Nafisa was to marry businessman Gautam Khanduja in a few weeks' time and apparently suffered from depression. According to her parents, Joseph allegedly took the step because her marriage was called off. Nafisa was Femina Miss India Universe and represented India in the Miss Universe contest in 1997. She was also famous as an MTV presenter.
Parveen Babi (1949-2005)
The glamor queen of Bollywood in the 1970s, Babi (55) was found dead in her Juhu flat on January 21, 2005. Babi was known as Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood for for her sensuous beauty. A post-mortem report said her blood had traces of alcohol. However, there were reports that the actress had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
Viveka Babajee (1973-2010)
A popular model, Viveka Babajee, who made it big with the Kamasutra condom advertisement in the 1990s, committed suicide in her Bandra (Mumbai) flat. Her body was found hanging on June 25, 2010. She was a former Miss Mauritius. Following her death, the police grilled her lover Gutam Vohra and family members as well as friends. However, the probe conclusion was that Viveka ended her life after a breakup in her love life.
Jiah Khan (1988-2013)
The actor who hit the cinema screens like a hurricane when she romanced Amitabh Bachchan in Nishabd gave the world another shock with the news of her suicide. Jiah reportedly committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan around 11.45pm in her Juhu apartment in Mumbai on June 3, 2013. The police filed a case against assistant director Sooraj Pancholi. She was in distress after their break-up.
