Boney Kapoor letter: Sridevi, my love, was axis around which our family ran

Sridevi, whose last rites were performed on Wednesday, lived her life with "dignity", her family said in a statement, while requesting the media to give the family the space to grieve her untimely death.

The Bollywood icon's husband, film producer Boney Kapoor, also released a statement on Wednesday saying the loss was "inexplicable in words". "To the world she was their Chandni ...their Sridevi... but to me she was my love," the filmmaker wrote in a post that he shared from his wife's Twitter handle. 

On the lines of the statement released by the family, Kapoor also urged media to respect the family's need to grieve privately.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sridevi was cremated in Vile Parle crematorium with full state honours. Hundreds of thousands of people, including Bollywood celebrities, joined the film star's family to bid adieu to the first lady superstar of India.

The last rites were performed by the actress' daughters Janhvi and Khushi before the body was consigned to flames in the electric crematorium with husband Boney Kapoor standing by.

"The past few days have been trying times for us as a family. Today, particularly, has been one of the hardest. We laid to rest a beautiful soul who has gone too soon," read the statement by the Kapoors, Ayyappan and Marwah families.

The funeral, marking the final journey of Sridevi, was one of the largest in Mumbai city in recent times.

Sridevi's funeral, in terms of sheer numbers, is estimated to have attracted the highest number of people, ranking on par with the previous biggest funeral processions -- of the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi and India's first superstar Rajesh Khanna.

Sridevi's mortal remains were flown in a private jet to Mumbai from Dubai where she passed away on Saturday following an accidental drowning in a bathtub in her hotel room.

Maharashtra government accorded full state honours for the funeral of Padma Shri Sridevi -- that included draping her body in the national tricolour, elaborate arrangements by the Mumbai Police and a gun salute before the cremation.

Here are the top 10 developments since the death of the legendary actor:
 

1. Boney's emotional letter: Hours after Sridevi was cremated, Boney Kapoor shared a post from her Twitter account where he remembered her as the love of his life. "Losing a friend, wife and mother of your two daughters is a loss inexplicable in words... I am blessed to have the support and love of Arjun and Anshula, who have been such pillars of strength for myself, Khushi and Janhvi. Together, as a family we have tried to face this unbearable loss," he wrote.

Kapoor also said his primary concern now was to protect their two daughters - Janhvi and Khushi.

"To the world she was their Chandni... the actor par excellence ...their Sridevi... but to me she was my love, my friend, mother to our girls... my partner. To our daughters, she was everything... their life. She was the axis around which our family ran," he said.

Concluding the letter, the filmmaker requested people to respect the family's need to grieve privately.

2. Family releases statement: "The past few days have been trying times for us as a family. Today, particularly, has been one of the hardest. We laid to rest a beautiful soul who has gone too soon," read the statement by the Kapoors, Ayyappan and Marwah families.

The letter said Sridevi had a similar connect with her family and the audience and left behind a "legacy that is unique".

The outpouring of love for Sridevi, the statement said, was the memory that the family would like her two daughters -- Khushi and Janhvi -- to carry forever.

"Let us help them remember their mother fondly, with that beloved twinkle in her eyes, and help them build a life and be what Sri had dreamt for them," the statement added.

3. Space to grieve: Both the statements requested the media to respect the privacy of the family and allow them the space to grieve privately. "To the members of the media, we ask that you respect the privacy of the family and allow us the space to grieve. Sri lived her life with dignity and we implore, that give her the same respect," the statement released on behalf of the family said.

Please respect our need to grieve privately, Boney Kapoor said in the concluding lines of his letter.

4. Inconsolable Boney Kapoor: Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik says after the sudden demise of actress Sridevi, Boney Kapoor couldn't stop crying. "When I heard of ma'am's (Sridevi) death, I couldn't believe it. Boney and I have been friends for 30 years. I called him up. He wept inconsolably. The more we spoke, the more he wept. He just couldn't stop crying. I hung up," said Satish.

5. The final journey: Wrapped in tricolour, Sridevi began her final journey with thousands of mourners walking along to catch a glimpse of her cortege as it slowly maved towards the Vile Parle crematorium.

The body of the veteran actor was taken in a hearse that was covered with white flowers, the colour of mourning.

Thousands of fans walked along with the vehicle as it left the Celebration Sports Club for the crematorium, about seven kilometres away. 

As crowds mobbed the vehicle, Arjun Kapoor requested them with folded hands to let the funeral procession pass through.

6. Cremated with state honours: Sridevi was accorded full state honours by the Maharashtra government. Her body was draped in the national tricolour and given a gun salute before cremation. 

Meanwhile, her family, including brothers-in-law Anil Kapoor, and Sanjay Kapoor as well as nephew Harshvardhan Kapoor and nieces Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor, stood in a corner of the venue, their eyes wet with tears.

Sridevi's daughters Janhvi and Khushi and husband Boney Kapoor stood in a corner surrounded by his family and friends from the film fraternity.

7. Mourning film fraternity: Among the early visitors seen at the venue were Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Leela Bhandsali, Jackie Shroff, Farhan Akhtar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, John Abraham, Ajay Devgn and Kajol, Anupam Kher, Sulabha Arya, Rekha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Arbaaz Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Farah Khan, Nitin Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vidya Balan, Sushmita Sen, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Madhur Bhandarkar, among others.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who was present inside the hall on Wednesday, broke down and was consoled by film-maker Karan Johar, who was also unable to control his grief.

Rani Mukerji sat near Sridevi's body and was consoling Sonam Kapoor, her niece.

The Kapoor household, in the past four days since her demise, witnessed a steady stream of visitors including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Krishna Raj Kapoor.

South Indian superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth were also among the visitors.

8. Housing Society cancels Holi celebration: In view of Sridevi's demise, Green Acres Co-operative Housing Society Limited on Wednesday cancelled Holi celebrations.

The society, where Sridevi resided, issued a notification stating that they would cancel their Holi celebrations, due on March 2, as a mark of respect to the actress.

9. Fans allowed to pay their last respect: Sridevi's body was kept for three hours at the Celebration Sports Club, Andheri (West), from 9.30 am onwards to allow people to pay their last respect.

The hall had three entry points -- one each for VIPs, the media and the public.

Nearly 200 policemen were present at the venue to keep the crowd in check.

10) No foul play: Sridevi's autopsy report had led to speculations over her death but the Dubai prosecutor's office, on Tuesday, closed the case following the completion of its investigations. The agency put to rest all speculations regarding her death by stating that she had died from "accidental drowning" in her bathtub after losing consciousness. "The case has been closed," the prosecutor's office said.