New Delhi: South siren and one of the most talked-about celebrities, Silk Smitha was born on December 2, 1960. Silk Smitha made a niche place for herself in the movie industry. Her bold avatar and fame earned were envied by many during her time.

Many years later, her enigmatic life even made our for a superhit blockbuster Bollywood film 'The Dirty Picture' where Vidya Balan played the titular role of Silk Smitha on-screen and won laurels for her performance. 

Silk Smitha breathed her last on September 23, 1996. 

On her birth anniversary, let's get to know her better: 

Name Game

Silk Smitha was her reel name, but do you know what's her real name? It is Vijayalakshmi. Hard to believe, no?

450 films old

The South sex symbol of the 80s, featured in as many as 450 films in her career. She worked in many language films including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi.

Make-up artist

You would be really amazed to know that this bold star started off as a touch-up artist for a lesser known actress, which gradually fetched her some roles.

Vandichakkaram path breaker

It was in 1979, that Vijaylakshmi turned into her reel name Silk Smitha. Tamil film 'Vandichakkaram' proved to be a path breaker for her. It was her character's name 'Silk' in the movie which made her famous overnight. And, director Vinu Chakravarthy renamed her Smitha, soon she became 'Silk Smitha'

Mysterious death

She was at the peak of her career and reportedly wanted to turn into producing films too, but what shook the industry was the sudden news of her death. On the fateful night of September 23, 1996, the South star was found dead in her apartment in Chennai. It was reported that she committed suicide.