To the rescue: Kerala man plays huge role in bringing home Sridevi's mortal remains

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sridevi’s husband, producer Boney Kapoor performed the last rites at the Vile Parle Seva Samaj crematorium here on Wednesday. The couple's daughters, Jahnvi and Khushi, were by his side as her remains were consigned to flames. Covered in the Indian tricolour, Sridevi’s body set out on its final journey with millions of mourning fans and well wishers lining the streets for a peek at her white flower-laden cortege as it wound its way to the Vile Parle crematorium on Wednesday afternoon. 

She was accorded full state honours with a gun salute at the crematorium. The cremation got over at around 5 pm and was attended by several leading Bollywood celebrities. 

In terms of numbers, Sridevi’s funeral procession seemed to have attracted one of the largest crowds seen in recent times, almost on par with the hordes who turned up to mourn India's first superstar Rajesh Khanna in 2012. The police had to resort to frequent lathicharges to control the hordes.

Indian in dubai helped sridevi come back home
Away from the cameras’ flash and the eyes of her millions of fans in India, the actress Sridevi's body made its way to a simple mortuary in the United Arab Emirates, where one man helped sign out her remains to return home.

Listed only as “ASHRAF” on the official paperwork in Dubai is Ashraf “Sherry” Thamarassery, a 44-year-old Indian from Kerala who has become a ferryman of sorts for those who die here in the UAE.

From indebted labourers to the moneyed elite, Thamarassery has helped repatriate 4,700 bodies to 38 countries across the world.