Sridevi’s death was untimely and unfortunate. What was worse were the depths Indian television news channels plumbed.
Republic TV
The channel featured ‘four versions emerging on Sridevi’s death’ and did its own analysis of the death certificate.
Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami pops in at one point, takes a look at a document that is written in Arabic, pulls out a marker and writes ‘Possible Further Investigation’ on a big screen. He then explains what that could mean.
The channel also had a debate on how Sridevi could have died of drowning, and among the theories that emerged was that the actor was too tall to have drowned in a bathtub.
#SrideviDeathMystery | For someone as tall as Sridevi, it does not make sense for her to fall and drown in a bath tub: Apsara Reddy, Journalist & Author pic.twitter.com/p06uegwC3L
— Republic (@republic) February 26, 2018
Times Now
The channel came out with three theories on Sridevi’s death:
1. She drowned after suffering a cardiac arrest.
2. She consumed alcohol, fell and then drowned
3. She lost her balance, fell and drowned
The channel’s prime-time discussion also featured a panel which debated whether it was possible for the actor to have drowned in a bathtub.
ABP News
ABP News questioned the presence of Boney Kapoor at the hotel in a list of ‘unanswered questions’ about the actor’s death. It also included questions like ‘was Sridevi under some stress due to which she had consumed alcohol’ and whether it was related to her stardom or her family?
The channel also questioned why Sridevi hadn’t received any offers post English Vinglish and Mom. A guest and the anchor analysed why the actor may have been frustrated.
Aaj Tak
The channel got noticed the most on social media thanks to it’s unique angle on the bathtub in which the actor died. Mysteriously titled ‘Maut ka bathtub (the bathtub of death)’ it featured a picture of the actor above an innocuous looking bathtub.
CNN News 18
The debate centred around the differences cited in the cause of death by authorities in Dubai.
It also featured a not-so-sensitive graphic of Sridevi lying dead in a bathtub as part of its ‘reconstruction’ of her demise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6M8MH88uOM&t=2000s
TV9
The channel also featured a graphic of the deceased actor lying in a bathtub as her husband Boney Kapoor looked on.
India TV
The channel featured prominently a video interview of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh who spoke in detail about Sridevi’s alcohol consumption habits. He also went into great detail about the consumption of wine and how it could affect people.
