Bollywood's loving mother, Reema Lagoo, dies at 59

Bollywood actress Reema Lagoo, the ever-smiling screen mother to some of India's top actors, died on Thursday at the age of 59.

Condolences and tributes to the actress poured out on Twitter, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bollywood veteran actor Rishi Kapoor also tweeted his condolences.

Lagoo was born in Mumbai, which was then known as Bombay, and made her film debut in 1979. However, her big break came in 1988, when she played the mother of the leading actress in the romantic hit "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak," or "Until the End of Time."

She began to play mothers in Bollywood at a time when the stereotype of Indian mothers was changing from the eternally tragic figure who suffered for her children. Lagoo brought a lighter touch, playing the mother who was also her children's friend.

She played mother to almost every major star and acted in some of Bollywood's biggest blockbusters. Superstars Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan had both played her on-screen sons.