Born Vijaylakshmi, this actress assumed a screen name in 1979 and then went on to rule south cinema in the 80s, often charging more than top heroines for her dance numbers
There have been many actresses in south cinema who have transcended the language barrier to be pan-India icons. Names like Jayalalitha, Rekha, Sridevi, Jayaprada are quite popular among the Hindi audiences too. But these were all lead actresses. There was one actress – who never quite worked as lead – but was still more popular than most heroines of her time. And she did all this before the age of 35, when she died mysteriously.
The actress who outshone heroines with her dance numbers
Silk Smitha was a popular star of Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu cinema in the 80s and 90s, and one of the most popular sex symbols of her generation. Her first major role came in the 1979 release Vandichakkaram, from where she got her screen name Silk. Over the next decade-and-a-half, she was one of the top draws as a dancer in the south. Smitha worked in over 400 films from 1979-96, mostly in dance numbers. Her dance numbers were so popular that she would often be on the posters of the film despite not being the lead. In the 80s, many producers added her songs and dances to shelved films just to get them released. The strategy saw many old films becoming hits just because of the Silk touch.
Silk Smitha’s early life
Smitha was born Vijaylakshmi Vadlapati in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru in 1960. When she was a teenager, her parents forced her to marry a local boy. However, young Vijaylakshmi wasn’t particularly well treated there, he actress later recounted. Sometime in the late-70s, frustrated by the mistreatment, she ran away to Kerala. She started her film journey as a touch up artiste to actress Aparna and soon got minor roles as an extra. It wasn’t until Vinu Chakravarthy mentored her and taught her Tamil, dance, and acting that she blossomed as a performer. He also launched her in Vandichakkaram.
Silk Smitha’s mysterious death
By the mid-90s, Smitha was still popular though not as dominant as earlier. On September 22, 1996, the actress spoke to her friend Anuradha to talk about some serious issue that was disturbing her. The following morning, she was found dead in her hotel room. The police ruled it suicide. She was just 35. A suicide note was discovered from her belongings but it could not be deciphered. The police was never able to conclude a motive for her alleged suicide. The death remains an unsolved mystery even today.
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