Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati (2 December 1960 – 23 September 1996), better known by her stage name Silk Smitha, was an Indian film actress who worked predominantly in South Indian films. She entered the industry as a side actress and first got noticed for her role as "Silk" in the 1979 Tamil film Vandichakkaram. She became a major sex symbol and the most sought-after erotic actress in the 1980s. In a career spanning 17 years, she appeared in over 450 films in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi languages. On 23 September 1996, she was found dead in her apartment in Chennai, apparently having committed suicide.
Early life
Smitha was born in a Telugu family to Ramallu and Sarasamma in Eluru. She left school after her fourth standard (in India, at about 10 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.
Career
Smitha started as a touch-up artist for an actress and soon got a break in small character roles. Later, she was discovered by Vinu Chakravarthy, director at a flour mill near AVM studios. He changed her name to 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 typecast. 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.
Smitha went on to star in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and a few Hindi films. Her dance numbers 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 (in 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 him from entering the maid's bathroom and standing "guard" during the shameful act, to prevent embarrassment to their family) and when she poignantly admitted her mistake in her confrontation of her husband 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 (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."
Personal life
Silk Smitha had a small circle of close friends. She was an introvert and did not make friends very quickly with anyone. She is also known for her short temper and straightforwardness, which some mistakenly took for arrogance. In reality, she was punctual (arriving in movie sets well before the shooting commences), responsible, and very ambitious (having learned to speak the English language fluently despite her limited education). She is also described as having a "soft" and "child like" personality by her close friends and fans. She was very skilled with makeup and made it her profession before entering the industry. She was naturally beautiful and well known for her doe-like eyes, golden complexion and physique.
Death
The morning of September 23, 1996 she had contacted her friend, dancer Anuradha, to discuss a matter that was disturbing her. Anuradha said she would make it there, after dropping her child at school.
In the morning of September 23, 1996, after few hours, Smitha was found dead in her Chennai home, much to the shock of her fans. The reason behind her death remains a mystery. Some believe it was suicide, due to depression over her debt accumulated from producing movies, while others call it foul play. A few months later it was declared in the postmortem report that Smitha died of alcoholism and alcohol intoxication.
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