Smitha turned down several films due to that Mammootty film; she lost huge sums because of her lover

Once a beloved figure among South Indian cinema fans, actress Silk Smitha's life was filled with hardship. She achieved greater popularity than many superstars in several films, but her personal life was marked by pain and tragedy. She took her own life due to some personal reasons. Recently, actor and director Alleppey Ashraf has revealed some aspects of Silk Smitha’s life. He shared these details on his YouTube channel.

"It was the late director Antony Eastman who gave Andhra native Vijayalakshmi the screen name 'Smitha' while she was preparing to act in the film Inaye Thedi. Later, after playing the role of 'Silk' in the Tamil movie Vandichakram, she became Silk Smitha. Initially, Smitha did not act as a glamorous heroine. She gained significant recognition for a role in a film directed by Bharathiraja. Afterward, she played a supporting role in the film Kozhi Koovathu directed by Gangai Amaran, where she starred alongside Prabhu. That movie was also a big hit at the box office.

Thus, she became a close friend of Gangai Amaran. Gangai Amaran said that Smitha used to enter the kitchen in the morning after taking a bath and adorning herself with flowers. She even assisted his wife with cooking. Smitha was a highly meticulous actress, paying great attention to her wardrobe and makeup. Smitha’s dance and acting in Moondram Pirai, directed by Balu Mahendra and starring Kamal Haasan, were widely appreciated. Smitha, who had discontinued her studies after the fourth grade, was also believed to have had an early marriage.

Smitha’s eyes were one of her most admired features, and this is how she became famous across South India. She did not have major roles in her films, but she was behind the success of many hit films. Producers and directors were eager to book her for their projects. Smitha was also known for her warm and understanding nature. She would intuitively understand others’ troubles without them speaking about them. An example of this is her involvement with producer Eerali Balan.

Smitha was paid an advance of Rs 10,000 for five days of work for the film Atharvam. Smitha expressed particular interest in playing a key role alongside Mammootty. She ended up working for 30 days on the project. As a result, she had to turn down many offers from prominent producers. As the shooting for the film dragged on, Eerali Balan faced severe financial difficulties. Smitha, despite her own challenges, was willing to help Balan with money. At the time, many other actresses were known to exploit producers financially, but Smitha was not one to do that.

Smitha also attended Eerali Balan’s wedding. Upon arriving at the wedding hall, Smitha embraced Eerali Balan, which upset the new bride, a village woman. Later, Smitha jokingly advised the bride to take care of Balan. This was overheard by many prominent directors, who repeated Smitha’s words, which led to an emotional outburst from the bride’s mother and later from the bride herself. On their wedding night, the bride confided in Eerali Balan, who, after understanding the situation, reassured her.

Smitha achieved fame and recognition, but what she lacked was love. Before her death, she wrote a letter in Telugu, where she expressed that she had never received love from anyone. Her letter mentioned how the actions of others had hurt her. The one person she loved deeply was her lover Babu, to whom she had given half of her wealth. However, he betrayed her. Smitha endured a lot of abuse from Babu, and she had hoped to build a life with him. Even her precious belongings, including jewellery, were taken away by him. After her death, the fans and producers who had once cherished her were nowhere to be found," Ashraf said.