Termed the Marilyn Monroe of Indian cinema, Silk Smitha was a famous south Indian movie star who ruled the box office as one of the most famous adult stars of the 1980s. Silk committed suicide by hanging herself on September 23, 1996. However, her death was believed to be suspicious and remains unsolved after more than two decades.
Silk Smitha: A Glamorous Career and Tragic Demise
In a career spanning 17 years, she appeared in over 450 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi languages. In her films, Silk Smitha mesmerized her fans in the role of a vamp, seductress, and bar dancer, with a few inhibitions about shedding her clothes. The sultry actress’s life always hogged the headlines, and she remained immensely popular throughout her career until her life was abruptly cut short in 1996.
The exact circumstances surrounding Silk Smitha’s untimely demise remain shrouded in mystery, reminiscent of other tragic losses in the industry such as Divya Bharti and Sushant Singh Rajput, whose young lives ended under similar enigmatic circumstances
Born on December 2, 1960, in a poor family, Silk’s real name was Vijayalakshmi Vadlapatla. Silk had to leave her school at an early age of about ten years after completing her fourth standard as her family could not afford her studies due to financial constraints.
Abject poverty and Silk’s striking looks worried her family as they found it difficult to ward off uninvited attention from frivolous men. The family married her off at the very young age of 17 years.
Her married life turned out to be troublesome due to her abusive husband and in-laws. To escape from marital harassment, she walked out of her marriage and fled to Chennai to live with her aunt.
The Untimely Death of Indian Diva Divya Bharti – Accident, Suicide Or Murder?
Tragedy struck the Indian film industry with the sudden and mysterious death of 19-year-old Divya Bharti, a rising star whose promising career was cut short in a shocking incident. Allegedly falling from the fifth-story window ledge of her residence in Mumbai’s vibrant Versova area, the circumstances surrounding her untimely demise continue to evoke intrigue and speculation.
Due to her passion for makeup, she took up the job of a touch-up artist for an actress. Soon, she managed to get a few supporting uncredited roles in the films. Film director Vinu Chakravarthy spotted her and rechristened her as ‘Smitha’. Chakravarthy’s wife taught English to Silk and also arranged dance, acting, and etiquette classes for her.
Silk Smitha came to fame with a 1979 superhit Tamil film ‘Vandichakkaram’, where she portrayed the character of a bar girl named Silk – which later became her stage name.
Smitha was considered a diva due to her appealing physique, dusky complexion, and seductive eyes. No film was complete without Silk’s appearance in it. Her appearance, even in the form of short item numbers, was considered to ensure the film’s success. No wonder she was one of the most sought-after artists of her time and worked in 200 films within a short span of four years!
Silk Smitha Biopic
The Dirty Picture, the biopic on Silk Smitha released in 2011. Popular Bollywood actress, Vidya Balan portrayed the role of Silk. Vidya was critically acclaimed for her performance and won the National Film Award for Best Actress.
The movie covers her life journey as a make-up girl who became an extra and then the most wanted heroine of the early eighties. Chronicling the meteoric rise and steep fall of the erstwhile screen sensation Silk Smitha, The Dirty Picture is set against the colorful and entertaining backdrop of the South film industry of the eighty.
The quintessential siren, Silk, knew her audiences and it didn’t seem like anything would stop the fiercely ambitious starlet, till it did, in the shape of unrequited love. To the world, she was the queen of sensuality. But at heart, Silk was just another woman craving true love. An unfortunate encounter with deceit and infidelity led to dire consequences!
Silk Smitha Dies under mysterious circumstances
On September 23, 1996, Silk Smitha was found dead at her Chennai apartment. As per the reports, the actress hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her residence. Silk was 36 when she took the drastic step.
According to her post-mortem report, Silk Smitha died of alcoholism and alcohol intoxication. Though the reason behind her suicide remains unknown, it is believed that she was plagued by multiple problems, including a financial crunch, disillusionment in love, and severe depression. Some reports even hint toward a possible murder angle.
Incidentally, on the night before her death, Silk had called her friend, Anuradha, and asked if she could come to her house and meet her as she wants to say something important. But Anuradha could not go that night and told Silk that she would meet her the next day. However, the next day, Anuradha woke to the tragic news of Silk’s demise.
Just hours before her death, Silk had also called her friend, actor Ravichandran, but she could not speak to him as he was busy shooting. Ravichandran revealed the startling fact in one of his interviews. He said –
“I was busy shooting that day (September 23, 1996) and was surprised to see Smitha trying frantically to reach me a few times. I tried to speak to her, but the call never got through due to poor connectivity. I thought it was a routine call. However, the next day, to my horror, I realized that Smitha had killed herself. I shudder to think of what could have been the reason for her call. This haunts even me now.”
A suicide note was recovered from Silk Smitha’s home. The person responsible for her suicide could not be established as multiple names featured in the letter.
Silk Smitha’s suicide note goes viral
Just before her death, Silk Smitha had written a letter in which she shared the pain and heartbreaks that she was going through in her life. The tragic note has gone viral on the Internet. Here is a rough translation of the letter –
“Only I know how hard I worked to become an actress. No one loved me. Only Babu (Dr. Radhakrishnan) treated me with some love. Every exploited my work. I have so many desires in life which I want to fulfil. but I get no peace wherever I go. Everyone’s actions are disturbing to me and that’s why death beckons me. I have always done good for everyone and yet my life is like this? God, what is the justification for this? I have to give half of my property to Babu. I loved Babu so much and sincerely too and I believed that he would never cheat on me but he did just that.
If there is a God, he (Babu) will surely be punished. I could not bear the abuse he did to me. It hurt me every day. They think that what they are doing is fair. Babu is also in the group. He did not return the jewelry he took from me. It doesn’t matter if I will live anymore. Why did God create me? Ramu and Radhakrishnan tempted me a lot. I have done so many good things for them but they are pushing me to my death.
Lots of people used my body. Many have taken advantage of my work. I do not want to thank anyone except Babu. For the past five years, someone has been saying that he would give me life. Do you know how much I longed for that life? But when I realized that it was all just words, I am exhausted and cannot stand it anymore. I found it very difficult to write this letter. I’m not even buying the jewelry I love. Who’s going to get it now? I do not know.
Conspiracy theories refused to believe suicide was Silk Smitha’s cause of death and they believe she was murdered to silence her from divulging some big stars who had been physically using her.
She may have gone at a tender age but her name will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cinema.
