Fans line the streets outside the home of Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor in Mumbai / AFP
Fans line the streets outside the home of Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor in Mumbai / AFP
Fans line the streets outside the home of Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor in Mumbai / AFP
Fans line the streets outside the home of Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor in Mumbai / AFP

Sridevi deserves privacy as inquiries are concluded


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In death, she has been as mesmerising as she was on screen. Speculation reached fever pitch this week after Bollywood legend Sridevi was found drowned in a hotel bathtub in Dubai while under the influence of alcohol, with some Indian newspapers pondering the circumstances surrounding her tragic death and even, rather tastelessly, elaborating on other bathtub deaths and the likelihood of drowning in one. Social media has been awash with provocation and rumours. All of this must be excruciating for her recently bereaved husband and two young daughters, who had just celebrated the wedding of Sridevi's nephew Mohit Marwah with her in a week-long extravaganza in Ras Al Khaimah. As Navdeep Suri, the Indian ambassador to the UAE, has pointed out, restraint is called for in such difficult circumstances and such speculation is unhelpful when a family is in the throes of grief.

With a forensics report giving the cause of death as accidental drowning, a Dubai police investigation was completed earlier today and Sridevi's body released to be flown home. Meanwhile, fans have been gathering outside her home in Mumbai to catch a final glimpse of her. What is clear is that her death has left India reeling in shock and fans around the world bereft. Her husband Boney and daughters Khushi and Janhvi have been robbed of a wife and a mother, but to Bollywood fans around the world, she was a screen legend, renowned for her doe eyes, impeccable comic timing and heartfelt performances. Off-screen, she was painfully shy and private, but when the cameras were trained on her, her alter ego came to life. It is ironic that her personal life and death are now the subject of such intense public scrutiny.

Bollywood actresses often live their lives in the harsh glare of the film industry's notoriously ageist spotlight, recruited young and consigned to roles as mothers from their twenties while their male counterparts continue as romantic heroes until a ripe age. Sridevi had that rare quality of longevity; she started her film career at the age of four, graduated to Hindi cinema in 1978 and despite a 15-year break to concentrate on her family life, her comeback – in 2012 with English Vinglish – was acclaimed. She was dubbed the first lady of Bollywood because she prompted directors and producers to think about female screen stars in their own right. Her star was still shining bright when she died, and her legacy will no doubt continue long beyond her untimely death.

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The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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if you go

The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow. 
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes). 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law