Sridevi Kapoor (born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan; 13 August 1963 – 24 February 2018) was an Indian film actress and producer who starred in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films. Regarded as Bollywood's first female "superstar", she is the recipient of six Filmfare Awards. Sridevi ranked amongst the highest paid actors in the 1980s and 1990s and is considered to be the most popular actress of the era.
Sridevi started her career as a child artist in M. A. Thirumugam’s 1969 devotional film Thunaivan at the age of four, and continued to act as a child artist in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her Bollywood debut as a child artist in the hit Julie (1975) and played her first adult role at age 13 with the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu (1976). Subsequently, Sridevi established herself as one of the leading actresses of Tamil and Telugu cinema, with roles such as 16 Vayathinile (1977), Sigappu Rojakkal (1978), Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980), Meendum Kokila (1981), Premabhishekam (1981), Moondram Pirai (1982), Aakhari Poratam (1988), Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari (1990) and Kshana Kshanam (1991).
Sridevi made her Bollywood debut in 1979 with the starring role in the drama film Solva Sawan. She gained wider attention with the 1983 production Himmatwala. She went on appear in a string of commercially successful films such as Mawaali (1983), Tohfa (1984), Naya Kadam (1984), Maqsad (1984), Masterji (1985), Nazrana (1987), Mr. India (1987), Waqt Ki Awaz (1988) and Chandni (1989). She also received critical acclaim for commercially successful movies such as Sadma (1983), Nagina (1986), ChaalBaaz (1989), Lamhe (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Gumrah (1993), Laadla (1994) and Judaai (1997). Sridevi has won five Filmfare Awards and has been nominated ten times.
Sridevi returned to the film industry in 2012 with the ₹780 million grossing comedy drama English Vinglish, after a gap of 15 years. The film garnered positive response from critics and audience alike. She then starred in her 300th film role in the 2017 thriller Mom; Sridevi's earned critical acclaim for her performance in the film. In 2013, the Government of India awarded Sridevi the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honor.She was also voted 'India's Greatest Actress in 100 Years' in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted in 2013 on the occasion of the centenary of Indian cinema.
Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan was born in her father's hometown Sivakasi, Madras state, India on 13 August 1963 to Tamil father Ayyapan and Telugu mother Rajeswari.Her mother was from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.Her father was a lawyer. She has a sister and two stepbrothers.
In 1996, Sridevi married Boney Kapoor, a film producer who is also the elder brother of actors Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor. They have two daughters, Jahnvi and Khushi.
Sridevi died on 24 February 2018 in Dubai after suffering a massive cardiac arrest. She was with her husband Boney Kapoor and daughter Khushi at her nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding function in Dubai at the time of her death. Among the rumors of news of her death as internet hoax, it was confirmed to be true by her brother-in-law Sanjay Kapoor.
