Prayers were offered at the hall at the Celebration Sports Club before Sridevi's body was taken for the last rites. A giant photograph of the actress edged with white flowers was put up outside the club, which was covered with white lilies, mogra and red roses.


Sridevi's body was brought to the venue at 9 am by her family members.. Inside the hall, her family, including film-maker husband Boney Kapoor, actors Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor, stood in a corner, their eyes wet with tears. Sridevi's daughters Jahnvi and Khushi were standing a little behind them.


Sridevi's mortal remains were draped in a red kanjivaram sari. A bindi on her forehead and lipstick completed her.  Well-wishers offered flowers kept in baskets.


A sombre, red-eyed Boney Kapoor stood in a corner surrounded by his family and friends from the film fraternity.


Fashion designer Manish Malhotra broke down and was consoled by film-maker Karan Johar, who was also unable to control his grief. Rani Mukerji sat near the body, and was consoling Sonam Kapoor.


The hall had three entry points - for VIPs, the media and the public. Nearly 200 policemen were present at the venue to keep the crowd in check. While the gates for the general public opened after 10 am, fans from across the country started queuing up to pay their last respects to the "Chandni" star since 6 am.


Image: Aishwarya Rai at the Celebration Club this morning. Her mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan and sister-in-law Shweta Nanda were also there. Pic: Pradeep Bandekar