Silk Smitha | Unknown facts about The fearless diva

Silk Smitha literally set the South film industry on fire! Her bold, sexy avatar made Silk Smitha a household name. Her fame was envied by many during her time and her enigmatic life even made our for a superhit blockbuster Bollywood film, where actress Vidya Balan played her on reel. Silk Smitha was born on this day (December 2, 1960) and bid goodbye on September 23, 1996.

She was at the peak of her career and reportedly wanted to turn into producing films too, but what shook the industry was the sudden news of her death. On the fateful night of September 23, 1996, the South star was found dead in her apartment in Chennai. It was reported that she committed suicide.

Silk Smitha was her reel name, but do you know what’s her real name? It is Vijayalakshmi. The South sex symbol of the 80s, featured in as many as 450 films in her career. She worked in many language films including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. You would be really amazed to know that this bold star started off as a touch-up artist for a lesser known actress, which gradually fetched her some roles.

It was in 1979, that Vijaylakshmi turned into her reel name Silk Smitha. Tamil film ‘Vandichakkaram’ proved to be a path breaker for her. It was her character’s name ‘Silk’ in the movie which made her famous overnight. And, director Vinu Chakravarthy renamed her Smitha, soon she became ‘Silk Smitha’