- Born
- Died
- Birth nameVijayalakshmi Vadlapati
- Nickname
- Queen of Sensuality
- Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati, also known as Silk Smitha, is an Indian actress and dancer who worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Her first Tamil film was Vandichakkaram (1980), where she played the role of Silk, a bar girl. The film gained immense popularity, thus earning her the name Silk Smitha.
Smitha's bold performances and dance numbers made her a symbol of sensuality in the South Indian Film Industry. Smitha's dances gained so much popularity that they were used to boost the viewership of films that weren't performing as well. In some cases, distributors wanted her to appear in films to boost their performance.
Throughout her career, Smitha starred in over 500 films. She made the world record for appearing in the maximum number of films in a year in 1983, appeared in 44 films that year. However, when she entered the entertainment industry, she worked as an extra or domestic help for the main stars.
She began her career with the film Edutha Sabantham Mudipen (1979) and later starred in a series of Malayalam films, including Pushyaraagam (1979), Saraswathi Yaamam (1980), Ivar (1980), Karimpana (1980), and Angaadi (1980).
In 1981, she acted in numerous films, including Vayal (1981), Seethakoka Chilaka (1981), Inaye Thedi (1981), Poochasanyasi (1981), and many others. The following year, she starred in the award-winning romantic drama Moondram Pirai (1982), a cult classic in Tamil Cinema, alongside the late Sridevi and Kamal Haasan.
Smitha also acted alongside Rajinikanth in Paayum Puli (1983), where she portrayed the role of Roopa. She went on to star in films like Moondru Mugham (1982), Roshagadu (1984), Khaidi Rani (1986), Khaidi Rani (1986), Lady Tarzan (1983), Avasara Police 100 (1990), Chaitanya (1991), and Coimbatore Mappillai (1996) to name a few.
Her final role was in the Kannada film Samayakkondu Sullu (1996).
Smitha's impact on the entertainment industry is remembered even today. In 2011, Ekta Kapoor produced a biopic based on her life, The Dirty Picture (2011), starring Vidya Balan.
- IMDb mini biography by: official_review
- ParentsRamalluSarasamma
- RelativesV Naga Vara Prasad(Sibling)
- She was often known for her short temperedness, determination and straightforwardness, which some mistook for arrogance. She was punctual (arriving in movie sets well before the shooting commences), responsible, and ambitious (having learned to speak the English language fluently despite her limited education). She was also described as having a "soft" and "child like" personality by her friends and fans. She was skilled with makeup and made it her profession before entering the industry.
- Despite the fame, Silk was a lonely introvert surrounded more by fake people who wanted to take advantage of her than genuine well-wishers. After multiple failed relationships, Silk sought comfort in alcohol and drugs and soon drowned in depression.
- Smitha continued to give sizzling performances during two decades, wooing the ever-hungry audience, thus becoming the most sought-after sex siren in the 1980s movie industry.
- Though the reason for her suicide remains unknown, it is believed that she took this drastic step due to disillusionment in love. A suicide note was recovered from Silk Smitha's home, which featured multiple names.
- On the night of 22 September 1996, after a movie shoot, Smitha contacted her friend Anuradha, to discuss a serious issue that was disturbing her. Later that morning, Smitha was found dead by hanging, in her hotel room.
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