Silk Smitha ( Vijayalakshmi )

Vijayalakshmi was born in a family to Ramallu and Sarasamma in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. She left school after her fourth standard (in India, at about 8 years of age) due to the family's financial constraints. Her striking looks burdened her with uninvited attention, and her family married her off at a very young age. When she was ill-treated by her husband and in-laws, she ran away to Madras (now known as Chennai) and started living with an aunt.

Vijayalakshmi, better known by her stage name Silk Smitha, was an Indian film artiste who worked predominantly in the South Indian languages. She entered the industry as an extra actress and first got noticed for her role as "Silk" in the 1979 Tamil film Vandichakkaram. She became the most sought-after erotic actress in the early 1980s. In a career spanning 17 years, she appeared in over 450 films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages. 


Career:

Vijaya Lakshmi started as a touch-up artist for a -D grade actress and soon got a break in small character roles. Later she was discovered by Vinu Chakravarthy, director at a flour mill. He renamed her Smitha and took her under his wing: his wife taught her English and arranged for her to learn dancing.though soon, due to her marked sex appeal, she switched to roles of cabaret dancers and vamps and inevitably found herself type casted.After garnering much notice and acclaim with her first major role in the Tamil film Vandichakkaram, in 1979, Smitha assumed the screen name "Silk", after her character's name in the movie. After it became a big hit, she could not escape typecasting, severely limiting her range throughout her career.

Silk Smitha went on to star in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and a few Hindi films. Her dance numbers, semi-nude scenes and bold performances in films like Moondru Mugam made her the ultimate symbol of sensuality in South Indian cinema. Her item numbers in films like Amaran, Hallimeshtru Kannada were also celebrated at the box office. Some film critics, historians and journalists have referred to her as a "soft porn" actress. A vast majority of her movies are considered 'softcore' by Indian standards and a common theme is her playing a freakishly strong agent in skimpy bikinis beating up huge thugs. Her acting prowess did not go completely unnoticed and in her rare non-sexual roles, she impressed critics and audiences, such as her portrayal of a wife hurt by her role in her husband's rape of their maid (which she passively allowed by not preventing his entering the maid's bathroom and standing "guard" during the shameful act, to prevent embarrassment to their family) in Alaigal Oivathillai (1981). One of her films, Layanam (1989), has earned a cult status in the Indian adult film industry and was dubbed in numerous languages including, Hindi as Reshma Ki Jawani (2002), which, too, acquired cult status. Her most respected film is Moondram Pirai by Balu Mahendra, remade in Hindi as Sadma, with much of the top-drawer cast, including Sridevi, Kamal Hassan, and Silk Smitha reprising their roles.

Such was her audience-drawing power that, at the peak of her career, according to Tamil film historian, Randor Guy, "Films that had lain in cans for years were sold by the simple addition of a Silk Smitha song."

Death:

Silk Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment, having committed suicide on September 23, 1996. The cause of her death is not known, it may have been her disillusionment of getting failure as a film producer which she had tried her hand on the previous year, an unrequited love or alcohol dependency. At 11.30 a.m, on September 23, 1996, Smitha was found to be dead in her chennai apartment home in Saligramam, hanging by a rope from the ceiling fan of her bedroom. She had left a suicide note in which she had written that she was frustrated with repeated failures in her life and so she was taking the extreme step.

Silk Smitha’s popularity began to wane by mid-1990s. She had a live-in boyfriend who had promised to start her luxury life from scratch and lured her into producing films. If reports are to be believed, Silk Smitha’s two movies that she had produced flopped and she was in debt for Rs. 20 million while the third one was stuck due to loss of funds. Silk Smitha could not reconcile to her being back to her impoverished day that she never wanted to go to, after she had reveled in luxury. She did get the odd film over, the last one being a movie called Subaash, a Tamil film, that released two days before her death.

The police directed examining doctors to send a part of Silk Smitha’s body parts to forensic scientists to find out if there were traces of poison in her body; she might have been poisoned before hanging her by the fan, they felt. A post-mortem report on Silk Smitha revealed a large amount of bananas and chocolates in her stomach.



yearmovieRoleLanguage
1979Inaye ThediMalayalam
1979VandichakkaramSilk as bar girlTamil
1979PushyaraagamMalayalam
1979OttapettavarMalayalam
1980KarimbanaPalammaMalayalam
1980IvarMalayalam
1980RajaneegandhiSheelaMalayalam
1981AvatharamThankamaniMalayalam
1981VayalMalayalam
1981Alaigal OivathillaiTamil
1981Seethakoka ChilukaTelugu
1981Sneham Oru PravaahamMalayalam
1981Pinneyum Pookkunna KaaduMalayalam
1982YamakinkaruduTelugu
1982Moondram PiraiHeadmaster's wifeTamil
1982Theeram Thedunna ThiraMalayalam
1982Sagalakala VallavanTamil
1982Pattanathu RajakkalTamil
1982Neram VandhachuRekhaTamil
1982TheerpuTamil
1982Thanikattu RajaTamil
1982RangaTamil
1982Sivantha KankalTamil
1982Parvaiyin MarupakkamTamil
1982KaalanMalayalam
1983Moondru MugamTamil
1983Paayum PuliTamil
1983Thudikkum KarangalTamil
1983SadmaSoniHindi
1983Thai VeeduTamil
1983Nizhal Moodiya NirangalMalayalam
1983AttakkalasamMalayalam
1983EettappuliRaniMalayalam
1983SnehabandhamMalayalam
1983PrathignaMalayalam
1983RathilayamRathiMalayalam
1983Thanga MaganTamil
1983KhaidiTelugu
1983Jeet HamaariSoniHindi
1983Jaani DostLailaHindi
1983Silk Silk SilkTamil
1983Soorakottai SingakuttiTamil
1983Gudachari No.1Telugu
1983RoshagaduTelugu
1984ChallengePriyamvadaTelugu
1984RustumTelugu
1984Idavelakku SheshamMalayalam
1984AbhimanyuduTelugu
1984HeroTelugu
1984AgnigundamTelugu
1984Neenga KettavaiTamil
1984VaazhkaiTamil
1984KairasikkaranAishaTamil
1984Prachanda KullaKannada
1984NiraparaadhiMalayalam
1984UmanilayamReenaMalayalam
1984BulletMalayalam
1985OttayanRaniMalayalam
1985RevengeGeethaMalayalam
1985Chorakku ChoraMalayalam
1985Jeevante JeevanMalayalam
1985PrathikarajwaalaMalayalam
1985Chattamtho PoratamTelugu
1985Shri Datta DarshanamTelugu
1985DongaTelugu
1986RaakshasuduTelugu
1986KirathakuduTelugu
1986Annoru RaavilMalayalam
1986Urukku ManushyanMalayalam
1986PensimhamMalayalam
1986KulambadikalMalayalam
1987AalappirandhavanTamil
1988JeevaTamil
1988Khaidi no.786Telugu
1989Miss PamelaMalayalam
1989LayanamMalayalam
1989Andru Peytha MazhaiyilTamil
1989AdharvamPonniMalayalam
1989Praayapoorthiyaayavarkku MaathramMalayalam
1989Pick PocketTamil
1989New YearMalayalam
1989SonthakkaranSudhaTamil
1989GeethanjaliGuest appearance in songTelugu
1990Adhisaya ManithanTamil
1990Shesham ScreenilMalayalam
1990Naale EnnundekilJyothiMalayalam
1990Avasara Police 100AmuluTamil
1990Sunday 7 PMSherlyMalayalam
1990Bamma Maata Bangaru BaataTelugu
1991Aditya 369Rajanarthaki NandiniTelugu
1991Thalattu KetkudhammaTamil
1991ChaithanyaTelugu
1991Thambikku Oru PaattuTamil
1991IdhayamTamil
1992AmaranArea GirlTamil
1992NaadodyMalayalam
1992VasudhaMalayalam
1992RishiMalayalam
1992Halli MeshtruKannada
1992Anthambar dancerTelugu
1993Sabash BabuTamil
1993Bava BavamaridiTelugu
1993Saakshaal Sreeman ChaatthunniMalayalam
1993Kunthi puthruduTelugu
1993Govindha GovindhaGuest Appearance in songTelugu
1993MafiaItem DanceMalayalam
1993AadhityanMangaTamil
1993Ulle VeliyeTamil
1993AlimayyaKannada
1993RakshanaTelugu
1993Muta MestriTelugu
1994Oru Vasantha GeethamTamil
1994Athiradi PadaiTamil
1994Palnati PourushamTelugu
1994Maro Quit IndiaTelugu
1994CID Unnikrishnan BA BEDMalayalam
1994ChinnaKannada
1994Gentleman SecurityItem DanceMalayalam
1995Villadhi VillainGuest Appearance in songTamil
1995HijackDaliaMalayalam
1995SpadikamLailaMalayalam
1995Mazhavil KoodaramRathi TeacherMalayalam
1995Special SquardMadhumathiMalayalam
1995KarmaItem DancerMalayalam
1995Kaattile Thadi Thevarude AanaMalayalam
1995Thumboli KadappuramClaraMalayalam
1995Three Men ArmyMalayalam
1995ArabikadaloramVaishaliMalayalam
1996Pallivathukkal ThommichanKathreenaMalayalam
1996SugavaasamMalayalam
1996Sulthan HyderaliMalayalam
1996Kireedamillaatha RaajakkanmaarRajammaMalayalam
1996Lucky ManTamil
1996Coimbatore MappillaiTamil
1996Kishkinda KaandaTelugu
1996Pacha thoranamKanyaKumariTelugu
1996Maa aavida collectorTelugu
1996Kishkinda KaandaTamil
1996SubaashTamil
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