Sridevi's official biography to be published by Westland Books

Westland Books on Wednesday announced publishing of the official biography of superstar Sridevi. Titled "Sridevi: The Life of a Legend", the book draws a complete portrait of the actor, who ruled the commercial cinema space in the '80s and '90s.

It is written by debutant author Dhiraj Kumar and will be released this year, informed the publishing house.

"Sridevi was a force of nature. She was the happiest when she shared her art on screen with her fans but she was also a fiercely private person. Dhiraj Kumar is someone she considered family. He is a researcher, writer and columnist. We are happy that he is writing a book that befits her extraordinary life," filmmaker Boney Kapoor, the late actor's husband, said.

In her career, spanning over five decades, the quintessential star worked in over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. She made her Bollywood debut in 1978 as a lead actor in "Solva Sawan".

Sridevi, who died at the age of 54 in 2018, has been conferred with several awards, including the Padma Shri, National Film Award and Filmfare awards.

"I am delighted that the venerable Westland Books will be publishing my debut book. My literary agent, Anish Chandy made this happen. I am thankful for the permission and support of Boney Kapoor and his family, Latha and Sanjay Ramaswamy, Suryakala, Maheshwari and Karthik, Reena and Sandeep Marwah," said author Dhiraj Kumar.

According to the publishers, the book is a 360-degree portrait of Sridevi and will make readers rediscover the icon.

"What attracted us to this book was the wealth of research behind it. Dhiraj Kumar's friendship with Sridevi and her family enables him to offer a unique insight into the inner world of the very private star. This book will make readers rediscover an icon," said Sanghamitra Biswas, executive editor of Westland Books.