Silk Smitha(1960-1996)
- Actress
- Producer
Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati, also known as Silk Smitha, is an Indian actress and dancer who worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Her first Tamil film was Vandichakkaram (1980), where she played the role of Silk, a bar girl. The film gained immense popularity, thus earning her the name Silk Smitha.
Smitha's bold performances and dance numbers made her a symbol of sensuality in the South Indian Film Industry. Smitha's dances gained so much popularity that they were used to boost the viewership of films that weren't performing as well. In some cases, distributors wanted her to appear in films to boost their performance.
Throughout her career, Smitha starred in over 500 films. She made the world record for appearing in the maximum number of films in a year in 1983, appeared in 44 films that year. However, when she entered the entertainment industry, she worked as an extra or domestic help for the main stars.
She began her career with the film Edutha Sabantham Mudipen (1979) and later starred in a series of Malayalam films, including Pushyaraagam (1979), Saraswathi Yaamam (1980), Ivar (1980), Karimpana (1980), and Angaadi (1980).
In 1981, she acted in numerous films, including Vayal (1981), Seethakoka Chilaka (1981), Inaye Thedi (1981), Poochasanyasi (1981), and many others. The following year, she starred in the award-winning romantic drama Moondram Pirai (1982), a cult classic in Tamil Cinema, alongside the late Sridevi and Kamal Haasan.
Smitha also acted alongside Rajinikanth in Paayum Puli (1985), where she portrayed the role of Roopa. She went on to star in films like Moondru Mugham (1982), Roshagadu (1983), Kaithi Rani (1986), Badla Aurat Ka (1987), Lady Tarzan (1990), Avasara Police 100 (1990), Chaitanya (1991), and Coimbatore Mappillai (1996) to name a few.
Her final role was in the Hindi film Haiwan (1998), released posthumously.
Smitha's impact on the entertainment industry is remembered even today. In 2011, Ekta Kapoor produced a biopic based on her life, The Dirty Picture (2011), starring Vidya Balan.
Smitha's bold performances and dance numbers made her a symbol of sensuality in the South Indian Film Industry. Smitha's dances gained so much popularity that they were used to boost the viewership of films that weren't performing as well. In some cases, distributors wanted her to appear in films to boost their performance.
Throughout her career, Smitha starred in over 500 films. She made the world record for appearing in the maximum number of films in a year in 1983, appeared in 44 films that year. However, when she entered the entertainment industry, she worked as an extra or domestic help for the main stars.
She began her career with the film Edutha Sabantham Mudipen (1979) and later starred in a series of Malayalam films, including Pushyaraagam (1979), Saraswathi Yaamam (1980), Ivar (1980), Karimpana (1980), and Angaadi (1980).
In 1981, she acted in numerous films, including Vayal (1981), Seethakoka Chilaka (1981), Inaye Thedi (1981), Poochasanyasi (1981), and many others. The following year, she starred in the award-winning romantic drama Moondram Pirai (1982), a cult classic in Tamil Cinema, alongside the late Sridevi and Kamal Haasan.
Smitha also acted alongside Rajinikanth in Paayum Puli (1985), where she portrayed the role of Roopa. She went on to star in films like Moondru Mugham (1982), Roshagadu (1983), Kaithi Rani (1986), Badla Aurat Ka (1987), Lady Tarzan (1990), Avasara Police 100 (1990), Chaitanya (1991), and Coimbatore Mappillai (1996) to name a few.
Her final role was in the Hindi film Haiwan (1998), released posthumously.
Smitha's impact on the entertainment industry is remembered even today. In 2011, Ekta Kapoor produced a biopic based on her life, The Dirty Picture (2011), starring Vidya Balan.
