Trivia

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.

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.

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.

The 1980s movie industry was patriarchal, with women given only two types of roles: the "good" woman and the "bad" woman. The good woman was family-loving, pious, and chaste, living to support her husband and many sons. On the other hand, the bad woman was a homewrecker, wore revealing clothes, and was unapologetic about her body or her actions. Silk played the bad woman and played it with such finesse that the chauvinistic industry became putty in her hands. She accepted that she would be treated as a sex object, but nobody but her would dictate the rules of the game.

Silk Smitha was discovered by the director Vinu Chakravarthy. Chakravarthy's wife taught Smitha English and arranged for her to learn dance.

In a career spanning 17 years, she appeared in over 450 films.

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.

An incredible example of Silk's popularity can be seen in the 1995 Malayalam hit Spadikam in which superstar Mohanlal was pitted against Silk Smitha as his love interest. The moment Silk came on the silver screen, the audience went berserk and started hollering "Silukku! Silukku!" as Mohanlal was entirely overshadowed by the simmering sensuality of Silk Smitha, still remembered 26 years after her death by a three-letter word: Si-lu-kku.

In 1979, Smitha starred in her first superhit Tamil film, Vandichakkaram, in which she portrayed a bar girl named Silk. She enthralled the audience so much that she came to be known as "Silk Smitha.".

In the mid-1990s, Silk entered into a much-publicized live-in relationship with a married doctor, which failed like her other relationships.

The family's financial condition was so bad that she had to leave education after the fourth form to start helping her mother with household chores.

After two years of misery, Vijayalakshmi changed her life forever. She escaped her abusive marriage by moving to Chennai to live with her aunt. There she started working as a touch-up artist. She also tried her luck in movies, but could not get anything beyond a few minor roles. Her luck changed one day when acclaimed film director Vinu Chakravarthy spotted her on a movie set. He was bowled by her seductive appeal, dusky complexion, and seductive eyes and immediately took her into his acting school. She was taught dancing, acting, and etiquette classes, and rechristened as Smitha.

She was the most sought-after erotic actress in South Indian cinema in the 1980s.

Silk Smitha, was an Indian actress and dancer who worked mainly in Tamil and Telugu cinema, in addition to some Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.

As film historian and writer Randor Guy wrote, "In the 1980s, she commanded a fee of 50,000 rupees ($800) per day for an appearance in a song sequence. No other heroine rivaled it.".

At 14, her parents married her off to a factory worker without her consent. It was an unhappy marriage with an abusive and drunken husband on one side and oblivious, indifferent parents on the other.

Her song "Mella Mella Ennaithottu" from Vazhkai was sampled by Rabbit Mac in the song "Sempoi".

After a few months of her death, it was reported that Smitha may have died by suicide due to excess alcohol found in her body. The police also recovered a suicide note from her, which could not be deciphered. Her death remains as an unsolved mystery till today.

In 2011, she was immortalized in celluloid by actress Vidya Balan who played Smitha in the blockbuster biopic, The Dirty Picture, which broke box office records and won multiple awards.