Bollywood superstar 'drowned in bathtub'

Legendary Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor, who died in Dubai at the weekend, drowned in the bath after passing out, local police said Monday.

Two officials who wished to remain anonymous said she appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol.

Authorities said they had carried out a post-mortem on the 54-year-old and referred the case to the public prosecutor. Initial media reports quoting her brother-in-law listed cardiac arrest as the cause of death.

Sridevi, who is often known by just one name, was in Dubai to attend a family wedding. Her body was due to be flown to Mumbai later Monday ahead of a cremation on Tuesday.

Bollywood legend

Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayappan in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Sridevi made her acting debut at the age of four. She went on to star in more than 300 films during a career spanning four decades. 

After appearing in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films, Sridevi eventually made her Bollywood debut in 1978 and became one of the biggest names in male-dominated Hindi cinema.

She appeared in a string of hit films, including "Mr. India," in which she played a reporter, and "Chandni," where she played a woman choosing between two lovers.

Following her marriage to film producer Boney Kapoor in 1997, Sridevi took a 15-year break from films before making her comeback in 2012 with "English Vinglish," in which she played a woman learning English.

The following year, she was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, for her services to the film industry.

nm/aw (AP, AFP, dpa)