The death of Bollywood superstar Sridevi has led to a wave of speculation - some of it unsavoury.
But the sad news has also encouraged some industry insiders to speak out about the disturbing pressures that women and outsiders face in India's so-called dream factory as Sudha G Tilak reports.
Bollywood stars often refer to the Hindi movie industry rooted in Mumbai as "one big family", but the cracks in this large creative community are increasingly becoming too large to ignore.
The tragic death of Sridevi has prompted an outpouring on Indian social media over the pressures on the industry's leading women and the murkiness behind their success.
It has also exposed the plight of many hopefuls who pursue a path to Mumbai with dreams of making it big in Bollywood.
Sridevi Cremated: Boney Kapoor perfomed last Rites :
Bollywood diva Sridevi was cremated with full state honours, mourned by millions of fans, at the Vile Parle crematorium.
Sridevi's filmmaker husband Boney Kapoor performed the last rites at the ceremony. The couple's daughters, Jahnvi and Khushi, were by his side, said sources close to the family. The actor's body was brought to the crematorium in an open, flower-bedecked hearse.
Sridevi’s passing away is still to sink in. Now, new details have emerged about how her family and friends came together to make sure she received a send-off worth her stature.
According to a DNA article, Sridevi’s family and friends chipped in to make her last moments memorable. The cousin of Anil Kapoor’s wife Sunita, Poonam decorated Green Acres, the residence of Sridevi.
If we didn’t see Salman Khan among the steady stream of mourners including celebrities, the reason could be that he visited the family in the night. The article adds, “The crowd outside the building was sad. Of course, it got boisterous when Salman Khan arrived... even a sombre occasion can never dictate the mood of a mob.”
We are informed that Anil Ambani is the newest relative of the Kapoors as his niece Antara Motiwala recently got married to Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s nephew, Mohit Marwah on February 20 in Dubai.
Anil took charge of the preparations, the article says. “Anil Ambani, the newest relative of the Kapoor family, took charge like he always does. And his arrangements were perfect. Earlier, the prayer meetings, which he had organised for Amitabh Bachchan’s mother, Teji Bachchan, and Karan Johar’s dad, Yash Johar, had gone like clockwork.”
“Here, too, the industrialist planned everything meticulously. He sent his 13-seater private jet to Dubai to bring back Sri’s mortal remains. Once his plane arrived in Mumbai, the diva’s immediate family like Anil and Sunita Kapoor got to see her at the green corridor itself. As Sridevi’s body was taken from the airport to her residence, he was in one of the first cars, ensuring that everything went smoothly,” the report said.
