Boney Kapoor issues statement after Sridevi's funeral: 'She was our life, our strength and the reason we always smiled'

On Wednesday, 28 February, 2018, screen icon Sridevi’s final rites were performed in Mumbai, four days after she passed away in Dubai. The actress was accorded a State funeral as celebrities and thousands of fans paid their last respects. Boney Kapoor issued a statement on Twitter soon after the funeral. Here’s what it said:

pic.twitter.com/VNgw7FY9rF

— SRIDEVI BONEY KAPOOR (@SrideviBKapoor) February 28, 2018

“Losing a friend, wife and mother of your two young daughters is a loss inexplicable in words. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my family, friends, colleagues, well-wishers and all of you countless fans of my Sridevi who have stood by us like rocks. I’m 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. 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 their everything… their life. She was the axis around which our family ran. As we bid goodbye to my beloved wife, and Khushi and Janhvi’s mama, I have a sincere request. Please respect our need to grieve privately. If you need to talk of Sri, let it be of the special memories, that connect each of you to her. She was, and is an actor that is irreplaceable. Love and respect her for that. The curtains never come down on an actor’s life because they shine on the silver screen forever. My only concern at this time is to protect my daughters and find a way to move forward without Sri. She was our life, our strength and the reason we always smiled. We love her beyond measure. Rest in peace, my love. Our lives will never be the same again. Boney Kapoor” [caption id=“attachment_4370135” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Sridevi. Wikimedia Commons[/caption] While tributes poured in ever since the news of her death, recent days saw an intense amount of speculation over the circumstances of her demise, especially once the Dubai Police declared it a case of accidental drowning. The intense media scrutiny was felt to have crossed the line into tawdry sensationalism, inviting criticism of the way Sridevi’s death had been covered by the media. On Wednesday, the Kapoor family issued a statement, prior to Boney Kapoor’s twitter tribute, asking for their privacy to be respected, and for them to be granted the space to grieve their tremendous personal loss. The following is the statement issued by the Kapoor family: “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. She leaves behind a legacy that is unique. Her talent was undeniable, her beauty unmatched and her ability to connect with the audience was legendary. Sri had the same connect with her family as well. The one thing that helped us all get through these last few days, was the amazing amount of love and support from everyone — be it her many colleagues, to her innumerable fans, her caring friends and loving family, from across the country and the world. This outpouring of love is the memory that we would like Khushi and Janhvi to have of their mother… a woman who was loved unquestionably by everyone. Let us all who loved Sri, envelop her two little ones, her life, as she often called them, with as much or more love than we gave Sri so that they can live their lives ahead with a little less ache in their hearts. 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. 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 you give her the same respect.”