Whose Sridevi was she anyway?

Sridevi may have been an Indian icon, if not a global superstar for many, but ask a diehard fan from south India and you will get a feeling Sridevi barely ever left her region, state or even hometown Sivakasi - where she was born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan on August 13, 1963.
A. Rajagopalan, who came to the General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology at the Dubai Forensic Medicine Department shell-shocked on Sunday morning to pay his homage to Sridevi, said: "She was our girl. She was born where we are from and we have seen her transition into the legend that will always remain," said the Dubai-based university lecturer.
That sentiment prevailed even Tuesday - the third straight day Sridevi's body was at the mortuary before it was finally released to her family. "We are from Tamil Nadu where she came from and for every Tamilian, she was a symbol of our pride. Can't believe she is gone forever," said the Krishnans, who have been living in Dubai for the last 35 years.
"We have known her since the time she began her acting career at the age of four as a child artiste in the film Thunaivan."
But for the group of mourners from Andhra Pradesh gathered at the Dubai Health Authority's embalming unit in Al Muhaisnah on Tuesday afternoon, the charm of Sridevi transcended regional boundaries.
"She is from Andhra Pradesh. Her father migrated to Sivakasi but she is a Telugu first and we will always remain proud of her achievements as an Andhrite. Sad that the film industry lost such a great actress," said Damodaram Vangalapati, 36, a financial consultant from Hyderabad.
"Her biggest hit in Telugu is Jagadekaveerudu Atilokasundari. She remains as "Atilokasundari" (Angel from the heaven) in all Andhrites' memories," said Rajesh Vemuri, a business development manager at a Sharjah-based plastic manufacturing company.
Ramesh Babu Revella, a sales manager at an insurance company, financial consultant Arif Mohamod, Ranganath, a deputy manager at a waste management company, all echoed the same sentiments.
But ask Sunny Thandi, who was born and raised in the UK, and Zarka Riaz, a Pakistani national, who came to pay their homage to their beloved star, and you would really wonder whose Sridevi was she anyway.
abhishek@khaleejtimes.com