Sridevi's last journey to begin soon

Mumbai, Feb 28 : Thousands of fans and Bollywood actors are pouring into Mumbai's Celebration Sports Club to pay last respects to film icon Sridevi, who died on Saturday in Dubai.

The funeral will be held at 1530 hrs.

Long queues were seen outside the Celebration Sports Club.

Nearly 200 policemen have been posted at the spot and a police band are deployed in honour of Sridevi, who was a recipient of the Padma Shree award.

People have come from as far as Karnataka and Chennai to catch a last glimpse of the actor, who had ruled Bollywood and the southern cinema over her five-decade-long career.

Issuing a statement from her family yesterday, had asked people to join them to pay respects to the "remarkable actor, beloved wife and loving mother" between 0930 hrs to 1230 hrs.

Now, the police have closed the gate, which was opened for her fans to take 'Antim Darshan', (pay respect) so it was high time for police to control the fans, sources said.

Her last journey would begin from the club to the crematorium, around 7 km away, near Pawan Hans, Vile Parle West at 1400 hrs.

The last rites will take place at 1530 pm onwards, the statement said.

Since morning, the film fraternity from Bollywood and southerns superstars including Kamal Haasan, who worked with her had gathered to meet the family.

Several celebrities Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Jaya Prada, Sushmita Sen, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi's niece Sonam Kapoor, Tabu, Kajol and others visited to pay their respects.

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan today postponed the recording of his song of his upcoming film, 102 and Rani Mukerjee avoided launch of new song of 'Hichki', sources said.