Silk Smitha

This article is about a deceased porn star

Silk Smitha	Biography Information	Physical Description	Professional Data
Silk Smitha in Niraparathi	Birthdate: Dec 2, 1960 Born as: Vijayalakshimi Location: Eluru, Andhra Pradesh Date of death: Sep 23, 1996 - age  36 Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu	Natural bust: Natural Hair color Black Eye color: Brown	Years active: 1981-1995 IMDB #: 0810427

Silk Smitha (December 2, 1960 - September 23, 1996) was a South Indian cinema actress. Even though Smitha appeared in some character roles, she became popular through her glamourous appearances in softcore films.

Biography

Born Vijayalakshimi into a poor family in Eluru (in Andhra Pradesh), she left school after the fourth standard, determined to become a film star. Moving in with her aunt in Madras (then the center of the South Indian film industry). After garnering much notice and acclaim with her first major role, in the Tamil movie Vandi Chakkaram (The Wheel), in 1979, Smitha assumed the name "Silk," after her character's name in the movie.

Career

Silk Smitha went on to star in over 200 Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and a few Hindi films. Her dance numbers and her bold performances in films like Moondru Mugam have made her the ultimate symbol of sensuality in the Tamil language, Kannada. Malayalam language and Telugu language cinema. Her item numbers in films like Amaran were also celebrated at the box office. Some film critics, historians, and journalists have referred to her as a "soft porn" actress. Her roles were, however, mildly erotic in keeping with the Indian tradition of keeping away explicit sex from the screen. One of her films, Layanam, has earned a cult status in the Indian adult film industry, and was remade as Reshma ki Jawani. Her most respected film is Moondram Pirai, remade as Sadma.

Death

In 1996, Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment. In the previous year, she had tried to shift her career in order to become a film producer. Financial problems and the loss of support among former friends and colleagues apparently led to depression. It is suspected that Smitha committed suicide.

Selected filmography

• Yamakinkarudu (1982)
• Moondru Mugam (1983)
• Khaidi (1983)
• Challenge (Telugu film) (1984)
• Layanam (1989)
• Halli Meshtru (1992)
• Sphadikam (1995)

References

• Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Oxford University Press, 1994 (ISBN 0-85170-669-X)
• Roopa Swaminathan, Star Dust: Vignettes from the Fringes of the Film Industry, Penguin, 2004 (ISBN 0-14-303243-7)
• Suparna Bhaskaran, Made in India: Decolonizations, Queer Sexualities, Trans/National Projects, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 (ISBN 1-4039-6726-1)

External links

• Silk Smitha at the Internet Movie Database

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