Шёлковая Смита: Жизнь и трагическая судьба южной звезды

Indian actress (1960–1996)

Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati (2 December 1960 – 23 September 1996), better known by her stage name 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. She became one of India's most popular sex symbols of the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as one of the most sought after erotic actresses in South Indian cinema in the 1980s. Smitha was a key figure in the Malayalam softcore film genre in the late 1980s. In a career spanning 18 years, she appeared in over 450 films. She entered the industry as a supporting actress, and was first noticed for her role as "Silk" in the 1979 Tamil film, Vandichakkaram.

Smitha was born in Kovvali village in Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh on 2 December 1960 to a Telugu couple, Vadlapati Ramallu and Sarasamma. She was a school dropout due to her family situation. Her family married her off at a very young age. Her husband and in laws treated her poorly and she soon ran away.

Smitha started as a touch up artist for the actress Aparna and soon got a break in small character roles. She got her big break in Tamil by director Vinu Chakravarthy. He took her under his wing; his wife taught her English and arranged for her to learn dancing, though soon, due to her marked sex appeal, she switched to roles of cabaret dancers and vamps and inevitably found herself typecast. in 1979, Smitha assumed the screen name "Silk", after her character's name in the movie. After it became a big hit, she could not escape typecasting, severely limiting her range throughout her career. A vast majority of her movies are considered "softcore" by Indian standards and a common theme is her playing a freakishly strong agent in skimpy bikinis and beating up huge thugs. Her acting prowess did not go completely unnoticed, and in her rare non sexual roles she impressed critics and audiences, such as her portrayal of a wife hurt by her role in her husband's rape of their maid (which she passively allowed by not preventing him from entering the maid's bathroom and standing "guard" during the shameful act, to prevent embarrassment to their family) and when she poignantly admitted her mistake in her confrontation of her husband in Alaigal Oivathillai (1981). Her most respected film is Moondram Pirai, by Balu Mahendra, remade in Hindi as Sadma, with much of the top drawer cast, including Sridevi, Kamal Hassan, and Silk Smitha reprising their roles. Such was her audience drawing power that, at the peak of her career, according to Tamil film historian Randor Guy, "Films that had lain in cans for years were sold by the simple addition of a Silk Smitha song."

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. A few months after 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.

In 2011, the film The Dirty Picture directed by Milan Luthria starred Vidya Balan as Silk Smitha. Reports suggest that the family of Silk Smitha, on whom the film is based, is not happy with the movie. Smitha's brother, V. Naga Vara Prasad, claimed the film was made without the family's consent. After the claim arose, Ekta Kapoor, the producer of the film who had come up with the idea for it, stated that The Dirty Picture is not based on Silk Smitha's life. In 2013, a Kannada film titled Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Hot, starring Pakistani actress Veena Malik was released. The film was based on Silk Smitha, and Veena Malik was praised for her performance in the film. The film was a hit in Karnataka. A Malayalam film titled Climax, starring Sana Khan as Silk Smitha, was released on 24 May 2013. Chandrika Ravi was slated to portray Silk in upcoming biopic film. The 2023 Telugu film Dasara has a shop name "Silk Soda Center" also inspired by her. The 2023 Tamil film Mark Antony portrays her, with Vishnu Priya Gandhi, a lookalike of her, playing the role.