Vijayalakshmi Vadlapatla, better known by her stage name Silk Smitha, is an Indian actress who mostly works in South Indian films. She came into limelight after playing the role of ‘Sutera’ in the Tamil film “Vandichakkaram” (1979). She is known for her bold and glamorous roles in South Indian films.
Wiki/Biography
Smitha was born on Friday, 2 December 1960 (age 36 at time of death) in Kovvali village, Denduluru Mandal, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He continued his schooling till class 4 and then dropped out due to his family’s financial constraints. His parents married him off at a young age. However, she received bad treatment from her husband and in-laws and walked out of the marriage at the age of 14. Smitha wanted to be an actress since childhood. Soon after she left her husband’s home, Smitha moved to Madras (now, Chennai) and got a job as a make-up artist.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 5″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family & Caste
Silk Smitha was born in an economically weak Telugu family.
Parents & Siblings
Silk Smitha is the daughter of Ramallu and Sarasamma. He has a younger brother named V. Naga Vara Prasad.
Brother Smitha Sutera
Relationships & Husbands
Smitha’s parents married her off at a very young age. However, she was not satisfied with the treatment given by her husband and in-laws, so she ran away from their house. Not much is known about her husband. Later, there were rumors of an affair between Rajinikanth and Silk Smitha.
Rajinikanth
She is also rumored to be in a relationship with Tamil actor, writer, and director Vinu Chakravarthy.
Vinu Chakraborty
Career
Silk Smitha started her career as a touch artist for actors. Soon, he got a small role in a movie. Sutera started his acting career by doing small roles in Malayalam films such as “Pushyaraagam” (1979), “Saraswatheeyaamam” (1980), “Ivar” (1980), and “Angadi” (1980). He made his Malayalam film debut as a lead actor with the film “Inaye Thedi” (1981). This movie was filmed in 1979, but it was released soon after. Film director Anthony Eastman was very impressed with her appearance and gave her the name Smitha.
Silk Smitha in Inaye Thedi
Next, she made her Tamil debut with Vinu Chakravarthy’s film “Vandichakkaram” (1980) where she played the role of ‘Silk.’ The film was a huge hit and brought success. After the release of the film, Smitha added the name ‘Silk’ to her screen name and became ‘Silk Smitha.’
Smitha Silk at Vandichakkaram
Soon, she started getting roles as a cabaret dancer and vamp. He went on to work in many popular Tamil, Malyalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Her dance numbers and daring performances in films like “Moondru Mugam” (1982) made her the ultimate symbol of passion in South Indian cinema.
Some of his popular films include “Sakalakala Vallavan” (1982),” “Moondram Pirai” (1982), “Paayum Puli” (1983), and “Thanga Magan” (1983).
Smitha was also a part of many popular Hindi films such as “Pataal Bhairavi” (1985), “Lady Tarzan” (1990), “Drohi” (1992), and “Reshma Ki Jawani” (1996).
Death
On 23 September 1996, Smitha called her friend Anuradha to discuss something that was bothering her. Anuradha tells him that she will visit him after dropping her son (Anuradha) at school. While visiting Smitha, Anuradha found her dead by hanging in her house in Kodampakkam, Chennai. Later, it was revealed in her post-mortem report that Smitha had committed suicide. A high amount of alcohol was present in his body at the time of his death. Although the exact cause of her suicide is unknown, it is reported that Smitha suffered from several problems, including severe depression, disappointment in love, and financial problems.
In one of his interviews, veteran Kannada actor Ravichandran revealed that Smitha called him a few hours before committing suicide (perhaps to talk about something that was bothering him), but he could not pick up her call. He said,
I was busy shooting that day (September 23, 1996) and was surprised to see Smitha trying to contact me several times. I tried to talk to him, but the call was unsuccessful due to poor connection. I thought it was a routine call. However the next day, to my horror, I realized that Smitha had killed herself. I was at a loss as to what could be the reason for his call. This haunts me now too.”
Favorite Things
- Film Director: Bharathi Rajaa, Balu Mahendra
Facts/Trivia
- Smitha likes to make up since childhood.
- Vinu Chakravarthy’s wife, Karna Poo, who teaches Smitha English. He also arranges dance, acting and etiquette classes for Smitha.
- According to family members, he had a small group of friends. Sutera is an introvert and finds it difficult to make new friends.
- Smitha is known in the film industry for her short temper, willpower and directness.
- Most of his fellow actors believe that he is punctual (arriving on film sets on time), responsible and ambitious.
- His friends often describe him as having a “gentle” and “childlike” personality.
- Smitha is known for her doe-like eyes, golden skin, and toned body.
- When Smitha was at the peak of her career, she had an amazing power to draw audiences. In the words of Tamil film historian Randor Guy,
Films that have been canned for years are sold with the simple addition of a Silk Smitha song.”
- In 2011, a film titled “The Dirty Picture” (2011) was produced by Ekta Kapoor inspired by the life of Silk Smitha. The film released on Smitha’s birthday and it was also dubbed in Telugu and Tamil. Later, Smitha’s brother V. Naga Vara Prasad objected to it and said that the film was made without his family’s consent.
- In 2013, a Kannada film titled “Dirty Pictures: Silk Sakkath Hot” based on the lives of Smitha and Veena Malik was released. The film stars Veena Malik. The film was a hit in Karnataka.
Dirty Pictures: Sakkath Silk Hot Posters
- In May 2013, a Malayalam film “Climax” based on Smitha’s life was released.
- In a career spanning 17 years, Smitha has worked in around 450 films.
- Smitha is known as the Marilyn Monroe of Indian cinema because of her uncanny resemblance to her.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
