Silk Smitha - Interview from Filmfare

WHO WAS SILK SMITHA?

SILK Smitha's rise from an aspiring starlet to super star status can only be described as meteoric. Coming from an obscure Andhra village, this star struck peasant girl, had acted in over 200 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam Kanada and Hindi in short span of 4 years.

Her first film surprisingly, was in Malayalam, Innayaihhed. She had a minor role. It was her second film, Vandichakram (her first Tamil film} that she became SILK Smitha after her portrayal of an arrack waitress. The role won her tremendous acclaim. A host of roles cast in glamourous moulds followed.

She was born on 2nd December, 1960 and In 1996, Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment. She had tried to turn int a film producer but financial problems, a disillusionment in love and an alcohol dependency apparently led to depression. It is suspected that Smitha committed suicide by poisoning herself. Her Filmfare interview is dated December 1984.

Vamp, seductress, night club dancer par excellence with few inhibitions about shedding her clothes, Silk Smitha has become a household name for film goers in South India. And with ‘Sadma’, she has become familiar to Hindi audiences.

I heard to lot about her. That she was a sizzler; a piece of red hot property ensuring success of any film. That she was ruthless in her dealings with press; that she treated producers and film makers like scum. That she was haughty, unsocial and disrespectful towards colleagues and senior artistes. I had heard…

It was unthinkable that anyone with such a reputation could continue to thrive in any profession, leave alone be at the top. It was, therefore, with considerable trepidation that I set out to meet “Silk” Smitha and out what made here click. I was in for surprises.

I was granted a audience without the usual starry fuss. Standing before me was not the glamour puss of over 200 films, but a dark looking girl with those hauntingly dreamy eyes so characteristic of her. She was neither haughty nor curt. On the contrary, she appeared eager to talk to us. The interview (conducted in her comfortably furnished living room) in Telugu accented Tamil with a few English words thrown I, took nearly two hours. And what unfolded was the story of a star-struck village girl’s struggle against tremendous odds.

Today, ‘ Silk’ is at the top as far as glamour roles are concerned. But the peak is narrow and precarious. But the peak is narrow and precarious. Others like Anuradha and already crowding the summit. How long will the ‘Silky’ days last before the inevitable fall comes?

I understand that you were born and brought up in a rural atmosphere with no film background. How then did you enter films?

Some uncles and cousins of mine are in Telugu films. But that had nothing to do with y entry into films. Even as a small girl I wanted t become a great actress, so when I came to Madras and got a role in the Malayalam film ‘In-ayaithedi’. I was very happy.

How did your family react to your entry into films? 

At first there was considerable opposition. They did not want me to become an actress. But now I have a good name and money. Now there are no problems.

You seem to be specializing in glamour roles…
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. To become a good character role for ‘Alaigal Oviathikillai’, which was a hit. But somehow I continue to get more glamour roles.

But now that you have a standing in the film industry, will you be more choosy in your roles? Will you insist on switch-over to serious roles when you are approached for future films?
I’d love to make a name for myself as a character actress. But I’ll never insist that I will d only serious roles. You see I depend onn my producers and directors for my success. They have utilized my talents to sell their films, but in the process they have also made me what I am. I shall do whatever roles they want me to. 

You have acted in over 200 films-you must have worked with various directors and actors. With whom do you like working the most? 

Bharathi Rajaa is a very good director. I like working with him, so also with Balu Mahendra. He is a perfectionist. He will retake the same shot several times until he gets the effect he desires. But he is very pleasant in his behaviour and can extract work and maximum co-operation from the actors and actresses.
 

Kamal Haasan is the best actor I have acted with. In Telugu, Chiranjeevi is very good. Both of them are very good dancers too. I love doing dance scenes with them.
There has been a lot of criticism about you in the press. That success has gone to your head. That you are very discourteous and disrespectful in your dealings with film makers and co-artistes. Any explanations? 

These are malicious allegations made against me in magazines which claim to be film magazines but are actually purveyors of yellow journalism. They have written a lot of bad things about me which are simply not true. They have accused me of treating my producers and others badly. Now, that is totally untrue. If it were true, then nobody will be casting me in their films. Why should I treat my producers badly when I know very well that I wouldn’t have been what I am but for them?
They have accused me of being disrespectful towards senior colleagues and artistes like Sivaji Ganesan, because I sit with my legs crossed in front of them. It is my habit to sit with my legs crossed when I am relaxing. I have been that way since childhood. Nobody had ever told me that was bad manners. But now, just because it does not suit the social norms of some narrow-minded journalists, it is being turned into a big issue.
 

 They have accused me of being disrespectful toward MGR sar by boycotting a function at which he was presiding. (In Tamil Nadu where movie stardom is an adjunct to political ambitions, it is considered blasphemy for actors and actresses to keep away from a function presided over by chief minister M.G. Ramchandran.) I would not even dream of boycotting any such function. You see, I had given dates for the shooting of a Telegu film with Chiranjeevi who was leaving the country the next day. And this particular function was also fixed for the same date. I am working to a very tight schedule and if I do not agree to shooting on that particular date, the producers would have had to wait for some months before I could give them a date again. I never dreamt that would be misconstructed as showing disrespect to the chief minister. (shrugs}

If, as you say, all these allegations against you are false, then why are these stories spread?
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. Quite recently, you were involved in an enforcement case...? 

Yes, there is a story behind that incident. I had to go to Singapore on a publicity tour at the request of music director, M.S. Viswanathan. MSV's family was accompanying us. Though I have acted in so many films, I am basically a shy person. I get nervous when I have to address people. I develop stage fright if I have to dance before a lot of people. I agreed to accompany MSV's party only on the condition that I would not be asked to dance. At a function in Singapore, I was introduced to the audience. I said namaskaram and left the stage but the people started clamouring for me to dance. That day I was escorted by the police to the room.
 

Then MSV came to my room and told me that my fans would not let the programme go on unless I danced before them. He asked me to oblige. I refused. The very next day, without even telling me MSV and his family left for India, leaving me alone. I think that was highly irresponsible behaviour on the part of a senior, respectable person like MSV  leaving a woman alone to fend for herself in a strange land. I somehow persuaded the organisers of the trip to return my passport and I too flew back to Madras.

At the airport, I was cleared by the customs. I had to pay a small amount of duty on some of the things I had brought for me. It was later that some enforcement officials come to check up on me. There were six of them from the CBI I think. They searched all my things, then apologised and went away. They said they had received information that I was smuggling something. I don't know who gave such information. I also don't know what happened to that case after that.Is it your ambition to get into Hindi films in a big way? 

I want to act in as many films as possible it does not matter which language. I had an opening in Hindi films through Jaani Dost. Then there was Sadma which is a remake of  Moonram Pirai. I had a longish role in another Hindi film. I don’t remember the name. I am now doing few more films... I am not familiar with Hindi names...
Well, if I continue to continue to get glamour roles, i cannot continue for a long. You see in such roles there are several limitations. But my ambition in life is to become a good character actress. I know I can succeed if only I am given a fair chance.
What about plans of matrimony? 

(Laughs} I will marry and settle down at some stage. But not just yet. Only after I have achieved all I want in acting.

Silk Smitha - The mystery of India’s biggest sex symbol

The sheer mention of this name increased the heart rate in thousands of men, and envy and disgust to thousands of women in the darkest era of Indian cinema, the over-the-top and sleazy 80’s. And to this day, her sultry personality, her mesmerizing eyes and her irreverently sexy aura hasn’t left our memories even 18 years after her mysterious death in 1996. Such was her legacy that it even spawned Vidya Balan’s most successful movie till date, The Dirty Picture and numerous adaptations in regional cinema.

Some loved her, some hated her, and some loved to hate her. But she will never be forgotten.

When we look back on ‘Silk’ Smitha’s short yet fiery roller-coaster of a life, from being a gutsy young girl in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh to becoming the biggest sex symbol this country has ever seen.

Before ‘Silk’, Early life:

She was born in 1960, to a couple of poor parents in the non-descript village of Somavarappadu, Andhra Pradesh as ‘Vijayalakshmi’.

‘Letting go’ was not a strange concept to her

Due to her family’s financial constraints, she left school after the fourth grade. Not too much later, her parents married her off at a considerably young age. And when her husband and in-laws started ill-treating her, she fled to Madras to live with an aunt, and pursue her dreams.

From Vijayalakshmi to Smitha

Before the ban on female make-up artists, Vijayalakshmi started out as one herself for a D-grade artist. It was at this time when director Vinu Chakravarthy was awestruck by her raw beauty, and saw potential in her. He took her under his wing, got his wife to teach her English and even arranged dancing lessons for her. Vinu felt that she needed a new name, a new identity. On a late summer afternoon, Vijayalakshmi became ‘Smitha’.

And from Smitha to ‘Silk’ Smitha

Her first major role came in the form of a bar dancer in Vandichakkaram(1979). In the film, the regular drunks at the bar called her Silukku, which roughly translates to ‘oomph’ in Tamil, much to her character’s disdain. Little did she know, ‘Silukku’ would become ‘Silk’, a name that the world would have on its lips for a long time to come.

She brought back the dead, and buried the dying

In a brief period, Silk had become the queen of erotica, with her item numbers and ‘special’ performances set the screens on fire, the audience hungry for more and the cash registers running. It’s believed that shelved films that were lying in the cans for years were brought back from the dead, with a simple addition of a Silk Smitha song. On the other hand, she also inadvertently destroyed the careers of many a starlet who were on their way to oblivion anyway.

She was a sex siren, nonetheless, but she shut her critics up every now and then

Many bigwigs in the industry, even after exploiting her for their own success, panned her for being a sellout and that she wouldn’t last long. And while never refused the glamorous roles offered to her for the sake of a few producers and directors, she stuck it back to her critics with nuanced performances like in Alaigal Oivathillai and Moondram Pirai. She always wanted to be a character actor, and working with her favourite directors Bharathiraja and Balu Mahendra gave her those rare chances to expand her horizons.

She was highly misunderstood by most people

Like how our society is even today, Silk was often met with preconceived notions and was written off by many dailies and magazines of those days as a rude, disrespectful and curt. In reality, the people who really knew her loved her for her surprisingly plain, generous and honest personality. One incident that got her a lot of bad press was her refusal to perform at MS Viswanathan’s party in Singapore, following which MSV and his family abandoned her there and left for India. Her firmly-rooted principles were often misjudged, and got her into trouble every now and then.

She knew that she would never last as a glamorous heroine

After having done around 200 films, she still believed that her image would not last forever. To find her true calling, she turned a film producer in the mid-90’s and set out to invest everything into her new ambition.

Her sudden death shocked many, and haunts a few to this very day

On September 23, 1996, Kannada actor Ravichandran, a close friend of Silk, was busy shooting and found out that she had frantically tried to reach him. He tried to speak to her, but the call never got through due to poor connectivity. But he sensed that evening that she might have been wanting to tell him about something that troubled her.

The very next day, Ravichandran along with the rest of the world was shocked to hear that Silk had taken her own life. Though no one knows for sure, Silk was going through many problems which might have caused this decision: financial issues, disillusionment in love and severe depression. Like a burning star, Silk was all of just 35 years of age when she left us.

Martin Pistorius, the man in coma for 12 year was AWAKE

Martin Pistorius was trapped inside his lifeless body from the age of 12 after being struck down with meningitis and said all he could do was "simply exist".

A man has revealed the living nightmare of waking up from a coma – only to find he was unable to tell anyone.

Martin Pistorius slipped into the coma aged 12 and could not move, communicate or do anything for himself for 12 years.

And to his horror, when he did awake, he was unable to communicate his return.

The South African youngster was diagnosed with a debilitating form of meningitis in the late 1980s and was left unable to move, speak or even make eye contact.

His parents, Rodney and Joan Pistorius, were left to do everything for him - from bathing and feeding to turning him in bed and were advised he would soon die.

It was such a tough life that Joan told NPR.org that she remembers looking at Martin one day and saying: "I hope you die."

And yet all the time – from the age of 14 or 15 – Martin, now 39, was awake.

He told NPR: "I was there, not from the very beginning, but about two years into my vegetative state I began to wake up. I was aware of everything, just like any normal person.

"Everyone was so used to me not being there that they didn't notice when I began to be present again.

"The stark reality hit me that I was going to spend the rest of my life like that – totally alone."

Martin said all he could do was "think" – and his thoughts became increasingly darker as time went on.

So he decided to block it out and stop thinking.

He said: "You simply exist. It's a very dark place to find yourself because, in a sense, you are allowing yourself to vanish."

Martin's brain began functioning fully at the age of 24 and his body followed at the age of 24.

Rose Siggins 43 dies with Sacral Agenesis Disorder

'American Horror Story' Star Rose Siggins 43 died saturday morning on 12 December 2015 in Denver, Hospital. 

She had gone in for a kidney stone surgery on Monday and never came out of the hospital alive. Rose had contracted an infection, which spread through her body and ultimately became fatal. Rose was born with a rare genetic disorder called sacral agenesis and we're told she suffered from kidney and pancreas issues her whole life.

She was born with a rare genetic disorder known as sacral agenesis in which her legs were deformed and the feet pointing in opposite directions. The condition causes abnormal fetal development of the lower spine.

Siggins' legs were amputated.

She had gone on to have a normal childhood, get married and have two children: a son, Luke, and a daughter, Shelby Cecilia.

 A Gofundme page has been setup to cover final expenses and the continuing support of her children.

Brittany Murphy (November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009)

Brittany Murphy was suddenly found dead in her home on December 20, 2009, but it's still hard to believe that she's actually gone. For someone who lived such a short life, she managed to impact so many people with her work. For me, watching some of my favorite movies, like Clueless and Uptown Girls, is truly not the same knowing Murphy's no longer with us. But now, Lifetime is attempting to bring Murphy back to life with their unauthorized biopic, The Brittany Murphy Story — and the results are probably going to be disastrous.

And despite the fact that Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, is furious that the movie has been made, even to the point of unrightfully harassing Amanda Fuller, who plays Murphy in the film, it's still happening. There's no telling how accurate (or not) the movie might be, especially since it was created without the help or approval of those close to the beloved actress. So before the movie premieres on Saturday and gives its version, here's everything we know for sure about Murphy's death.

Murphy's death was sudden & unexpected


Murphy was only 32 when her mother, Sharon, found her unconscious in the shower in the early morning of December 20, 2009. Murphy's mother immediately called 911, and the heartbreaking audio of the call was released later. Despite the attempts of Murphy's mother and husband to revive her, Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Murphy suffered from anemia and was battling a case of pneumonia at the time, which would later be ruled the official cause of her death.

The coroner's report showed no alcohol abuse or illegal substances in her system

Two months after her death, autopsy results done by the Los Angeles Coroner confirmed that her body showed no signs of alcohol abuse or illegal substances at the time of her death, and that there could be no other cause for her death than pneumonia. According to People, they did find elevated traces of Vicodin and over the counter cold medicine — unsurprising, considering that Murphy wasn't feeling well at the time of her death. The coroner called her death "accidental but preventable," and stressed that there was no evidence of foul play.

Murphy was laid to rest in a small, private funeral

On Christmas Eve 2009, a small group of Murphy's closet family and friends came together to say goodbye at Hollywood Hills' Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where guests sang "Amazing Grace." Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, spoke tribute, and family friend Alex Ben Block gave the eulogy.
Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, died just five months later

Shockingly, Monjack was found dead on May 23, 2010 at his Hollywood home after the Los Angeles County Fire Department was called. At the time of his death, Monjack was only 40, and his mother, Linda Monjack, had told People earlier in the year that he had suffered a heart attack shortly before Murphy's death. Later that year, the assistant chief coroner announced that Monjack's death was ruled "pneumonia, just like Brittany."

Monjack was later buried beside Murphy, and a rendition of "Smile" sung by Murphy with Monjack accompanying her on the piano played as they closed the casket. It's difficult to imagine a more heartbreaking scenario for their friends and family to have to deal with.
Coroners Have No Plans To Reopen Murphy's Case.

Bertolli obtained DNA samples from Murphy for further testing and reportedly received results that said there were 10 types of heavy metals found in Murphy's system at the time of her death. "It's very suspicious," Bertolli said, according to CNN. "I feel she was poisoned and there's no question about that. She was murdered."

However, the Los Angeles Coroner told the Huffington Post that they plan to stand by their original reports. As of November 2013, the coroner's office had never been sent any third-party lab results, and so her case remains closed.


Buried Evidence

Brittany had died of ‘natural causes’ following an autopsy performed on December 21st 2009, even though certain toxicology samples were not examined, most notably her hair, tissue and fingernails. In addition, we learned that a Mees’ line examination was not conducted during the autopsy due to the polish that was still present on Brittany’s fingernails.

Mees’ lines, are prominent horizontal marks that can appear on a person’s fingernails when they’ve died due to toxic heavy metal poisoning. It is often listed that renal failure (kidney failure) has occurred when Mees’ lines are present on a body after death, particularly, acute kidney failure giving a person the appearance of ‘shock kidneys’ from the traumatic septic shock they have undergone.

Even though Brittany is said to have suffered from diabetes and hypoglycemia, it is clearly listed in the apparently leaked autopsy report, that she had shock kidneys according to the coroner, suggesting the strong possibility that she could have died from poisoning.

If Brittany did display acute trauma to her kidney’s, why wouldn’t the coroner perform a Mees’ lines examination, as the sudden shock to her kidney’s could have suggested a different cause of death?

In February of 2010 the The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner once again concluded that  Brittany died of community acquired pneumonia, citing – pneumonia, iron deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. It should be stated that No illegal drugs were found in her system, as the substances in her blood were consistent with medicine taken for cold and respiratory infections. Here is a passage from the apparent autopsy report that confirms the types of over-the-counter medications in her system at the time of her death:

If this autopsy passage above is real, then what was behind the massive push to portray Brittany as a drug addict, claiming she was hooked to a number of illegal substances, surely the coroner’s office could have set the media straight with these facts following her death?

It’s well-known that the dead circus that is Hollywood media, likes to cook-up trashy headlines and bloated tabloid features – but in the case of Brittany Murphy, it appears as though there was a blatant disregard of facts contained within her autopsy.

The House and Molding - The Story

Brittany’s mother, Sharon Murphy sold the Hollywood Hills property formerly owned by the film star, which narrowly avoiding foreclosure after claims of toxic mold being in located somewhere in the house. She subsequently filed suit against her attorney’s after apparently not being made aware of the possibility that Brittany and Simon Monjack could have died from mold.

What’s odd here, is that L. A. County coroner Ed Winter, put the toxic mold queries to rest following Brittany’s autopsy, stating they specifically looked for evidence of mold in the death of both celebrities and did not find that it was a factor in either person’s death.

You have to wonder why was Sharon trying to sue for wrongful death, when there clearly seemed to be no case for it?

And why has she tried to put to rest theories about her daughter’s death, when there seems to be evidence of foul play?