Silk Smitha

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Silk Smitha
Birth name Vijayalaxmi
Born December 2, 1960
Eluru, Andhra Pradesh
Died September 23, 1996
Madras

Silk Smitha (December 2, 1960 – September 23, 1996) was a star of South Indian cinema during the 1980s.

Contents

[edit] 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 centre of the South Indian film industry)[1], she soon found a sponsor who renamed her Smitha.[2] 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.[3] After close to ten years of celebrity (and notoriety), her success (and fortunes) began to wane. Following failed attempts at producing films that lost a lot of money, Smitha hanged herself in 1996.

[edit] 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 Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu cinema. Her item numbers in films ike Amaran was also celebrated at the box office. Some film critics, historians and journalists have referred to her as a soft porn actress.[4] One of her films - Layanam - has earned a cult status in the Indian adult film indistry, and was remade as Reshma ki Jawani.[5] Her most respected film is Moondram Pirai, remade as Sadma.[6]

[edit] Selected Filmography

Layanam (1989): A cult softporn film directed by Thulasidas, featuring Silk Smitha, Abhilasha, Devishri and Nandu (Language: Malayalam)
Layanam (1989): A cult softporn film directed by Thulasidas, featuring Silk Smitha, Abhilasha, Devishri and Nandu (Language: Malayalam)

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Obituary", The Independent, 1996-09-26. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. (in English)
  2. ^ "Chronicle of a death foretold", Rediff India Abroad, 1997-04-04. Retrieved on 2007-03-10. (in English)
  3. ^ "Some reel-life role models", Deccan Herald, 2006-10-26. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. (in English)
  4. ^ "Magic workers", The Hindu, 2005-03-06. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. (in English)
  5. ^ "Sex Sells", Screen Weekly, 2002-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. (in English)
  6. ^ "A saga of success", The Hindu, 2006-09-06. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. (in English)

[edit] External links

[edit] 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)


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