Priyanka Chopra Remembers Sridevi with First Look at Upcoming Biography

Chopra shared the cover of Empress: The Definitive Biography of Sridevi, written by Dhiraj U Kumarr and published by Westland Books. The book, which was announced in 2023, is expected to explore Sridevi’s life, career and enduring influence on Indian cinema. It is currently listed as “coming soon.”

In her tribute, Chopra described Sridevi as “the one and only” and said she was deeply missed. The timing of the tribute was significant. Sridevi was born on August 13, 1963, and her birth anniversary continues to be observed by fans and members of the film industry. She died in 2018 at the age of 54, leaving behind a career that stretched across more than four decades.

Sridevi’s remarkable Bollywood journey

Although Sridevi became one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, her career began in South Indian cinema. She entered films as a child artist and eventually worked across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi cinema. Her early Hindi appearances included Rani Mera Naam and Julie, before she took on a major adult role in Solva Sawan in 1979.

Her breakthrough in mainstream Hindi cinema came with Himmatwala in 1983. The film’s success turned Sridevi into a major Bollywood star, and she followed it with a string of commercially successful movies including Tohfa, Nagina, Mr. India, Chandni, ChaalBaaz and Lamhe.

One of the defining features of Sridevi’s career was her ability to move effortlessly between comedy, romance, drama and emotionally demanding roles. In Mr. India, her comic timing and performance as journalist Seema became hugely popular, while Chandni established another iconic facet of her screen persona. Her distinctive style in the film also helped make chiffon sarees a lasting part of Bollywood fashion.

Sridevi was also notable for becoming a leading box-office attraction at a time when Hindi cinema was largely driven by male stars. Her success helped establish the idea that a female actor could carry a commercial film and command enormous audience attention.

Her acting range was particularly evident in films such as Sadma, ChaalBaaz and Lamhe, where she demonstrated that her appeal extended far beyond glamour and dance numbers. Her performances earned her several major honours, including Filmfare recognition and, later in her career, the National Film Award for Mom. She was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2013.

After taking a long break from acting, Sridevi made a celebrated comeback with English Vinglish in 2012. She returned once again in Mom in 2017, playing a determined mother seeking justice for her daughter. The performance earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress posthumously.

The Final Chapter

One of the most sensitive chapters Empress may explore is the sudden death that brought Sridevi's extraordinary life to an abrupt end. She died in Dubai on February 24, 2018, at the age of 54, while attending a family wedding. Initial reports in India suggested that she had suffered a cardiac arrest, but a subsequent forensic examination by Dubai authorities concluded that she died from accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub following loss of consciousness.

Even though the official conclusion was accidental drowning, the circumstances of her death sparked widespread speculation, particularly because of the initial confusion over the cause of death and the delay in bringing her remains back to India.These details generated intense media attention and public debate, although authorities did not establish a criminal motive.

With Empress, Sridevi’s extraordinary journey is set to be revisited through a fresh lens — from her early days as a child artiste in South Indian cinema to her rise as one of Bollywood’s most iconic and influential stars. For generations of fans, the biography could offer more than a look back at her celebrated films; it may also reveal the woman behind the superstar, the choices that shaped her career and the legacy she left behind on and off the screen.