Sridevi: Indian media's reconstructions of Bollywood superstar's death spark outrage

News outlets use elaborately crafted onscreen graphics and recreations of the hotel room where the actor died

The graphic coverage of Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor’s death by Indian media has been criticised by friends, colleagues and fans.

The 54-year-old actor, known by her first name by most, died of accidental drowning in a hotel bath in Dubai over the weekend.

Local TV channels have featured rolling coverage of the circumstances surrounding the death of Hindi cinema’s first female megastar, who was in the emirate to attend a family wedding.

Some news outlets have used elaborately crafted onscreen graphics and recreations of the hotel room where she died in order to speculate about her final moments. Others used images of Kapoor in bathrooms.

Actors, directors and fans on have criticised some of the coverage on social media, sharing pictures of some of the news reports.

The hashtag “Let her rest in peace” has also gained increasing traction on Twitter.

Indian journalist Karnika Kohli shared a photo from Hindi channel Aaj Tak TV which included a bath emblazoned with the words “The Bathtub of Death”.

Others have speculated about how she died.

Despite police ruling out suggestions of foul play, alternative conspiracy theories accompanied by the hashtag “Sridevi death mystery” have circulated on social media.

The actor was attending her nephew’s wedding in Dubai with her husband, film producer Boney Kapoor, and daughter Khushi.

The couple reportedly went to dinner on Saturday evening, before Kapoor went to the bathroom to prepare for the evening.

After his wife failed to reappear, the Khaleej Times reported that Mr Kapoor forced entry and found her ”lying motionless in a bathtub full of water”.

Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in Sivakasi, in the state of Tamil Nadu in the south of India, Sridevi made more than 300 films in six languages, revolutionising the role of women in India’s male-dominated film industry.

Her father, Ayyapan, was a Tamil lawyer and her mother Rajeswari was a Telugu-speaker so she grew up bilingual.

The actor, who was also a film producer, launched her film career as a child actor before going on to star in regional films in southern India and then making her Bollywood debut in the late 70’s.

The Indian government awarded her the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian honour – in 2013.

Tributes for the renowned Bollywood star have poured in and thousands of mourning fans flocked on to the streets of Mumbai for her funeral.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “She was a veteran of the film industry, whose long career included diverse roles and memorable performances.”

She is survived by her husband and two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi.