Married to older abusive man, actress ran away at 14, worked as a maid; became India’s biggest sex symbol, died penniless at 35

Silk Smitha left school in Class 4, was married off at 14

Smitha was born in Kovvali village of Andhra Pradesh as Vadlapati Vijayalakshmi. The financial condition of her family was so dire that she had to quit school at the age of 10, when she was in Class 4. Growing up in poverty, she helped her mother with household chores, but her parents fixed her marriage to an older man when she was just 14 — without informing her. Smitha reportedly faced abuse at the hands of her husband and in-laws, but after two years, she walked out of the marriage.

Silk worked as domestic help, touch-up artist to survive

It is reported that during this time, Silk’s aunt came to her support and encouraged her to fend for herself. She initially worked as a domestic help and later as a touch-up artist. Since she was constantly on film sets, she often got the chance to work as an extra in various films, playing small, uncredited roles.

Vinu Chakravarthy discovered Silk Smitha in a flour mill

According to various reports, Smitha was first discovered by Tamil filmmaker Vinu Chakravarthy at a flour mill near AVM Studio in Chennai. Smitha happened to be there at the same time as Vinu, who was accompanied by his wife, Karna Poo. Impressed by her looks and potential, Vinu immediately took Silk under his wing and arranged special acting, dance, and etiquette classes for her.

Silk Smitha was a dancer and actor (Photo: Express Archives)

Silk Smitha’s acting debut

After undergoing training, Silk bagged her first role in Malayalam director Antony Eastman’s film Inaye Thedi. However, the movie was released much later after it was shot. Before Inaye Thedi hit theatres, Smitha had already appeared in several Malayalam films, including Pushyaraagam, Saraswatheeyaamam, Karimbana and more — but in all these projects, she remained overshadowed by the bigger stars.

This changed after the release of Tamil film Vandichakkaram in 1980. The film not only established her presence but also gave her the screen name — Silk Smitha. She played a negative, glamorous character named ‘Silk,’ and her exceptional performance made the name synonymous with her identity. The film starred Sivakumar and Saritha in lead roles, while Silk’s voice was dubbed by Hema Malini.

How Silk Smitha got typecast

In an old interview with Filmfare, Smitha admitted that while Vandichakkaram brought her fame, it also typecast her in glamorous, sensual roles. She, however, wanted to play character-driven parts but never got that opportunity.

“Well, actually I wanted to become a character actress like Savithri, Sujta and Saritha. But in my second film ‘Vandichakram’ (her first film in Tamil), I was put in a glamour role. It was in that film that I played the character called ‘Silk’ Smitha….. (Laughs). It was actually a very good role and people liked my performance. It led to more and more glamour roles. I cannot afford to displease my producers and directors so I continue to accept them. But my ambition remains the same,” she had said.

Silk later starred opposite Rajinikanth in the 1982 film Moondru Mugam, which further established her as the ultimate ‘symbol of sensuality’ in South Indian cinema.

When the touch-up girl became one of the richest actors

Very soon, Silk Smitha became one of the most sought-after actors in the South Indian film industry, thanks to her magnetic screen presence and dance numbers. In a career spanning 18 years, she appeared in over 450 films. Her popularity was such that distributors reportedly demanded her appearance in a film before agreeing to buy it.

A Rediff report stated that several films remained in cans until Silk gave her dates for a dance number — and were released only after her scenes were shot and added. Her presence often revived shelved projects, turning them into silver jubilee hits after her song sequences were inserted.

The same report also revealed that Smitha could command any price for her appearances, charging around Rs 50,000 per dance sequence — a huge sum at the time. On some days, she would perform in two or three dance numbers, earning more than the leading heroines of that era.

Silk Smitha’s downfall

By the late 1990s, Smitha’s stardom began to wane. Her packed schedule made it difficult for producers to get her dates, and she began facing competition from newer actors who were more affordable. In the same Filmfare interview, Smitha hinted at the jealousy she faced from many in the industry who resented her meteoric rise.

“My career has been short. Just about 4 years and in this time I have acted over 200 films. Naturally, there must be several people who are jealous of my success. I think it is such people who are behind all this malicious propaganda. They’re trying to damage my reputation,” she had said.

What led to Silk Smitha’s death?

As her career declined, Smitha also faced personal and financial troubles. According to a report in The Economic Times, the actor lost her entire wealth — reportedly more than Rs 4 crore, a huge amount at the time — after her partner convinced her to invest in three film productions, all of which turned out to be box office flops.

On September 23, 1996, Silk Smitha was found dead in her house. While her death was reported as a suicide, the real reason behind it remains a mystery to this day. Her mystery-shrouded death is still discussed to this day.