Bollywood star Sridevi passes away

Sridevi

(BBC) Bollywood superstar Sridevi has died after a cardiac arrest, her family says. She was 54.

She passed away in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where she was attending a wedding ceremony.

Starting her acting career at the age of four, she had worked in films in the Tamil, Telugu, Malaylam, Kannada and Hindi languages. She debuted as a lead actress in a Bollywood film in 1978, soon becoming one of India’s biggest film stars.

During her acting career spanning five decades, she worked on countless hit movies and was seen by industry experts as one of the first truly solo female film stars, able to sell movies in her own right.

In 2013, the Indian government awarded her the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian honour.