Actress Silk Smitha’s life and death also is as intrigiuing as a thriller movie. Born Vijayalakshmi in small village in Eluru district of AP, she had to drop out of fourth standard due to poverty and was married at the age of fourteen. But she was subject to domestic violence and her marriage ended soon.

Later, Vijayalakshmi learned dance and came to Chennai with hopes of becoming a cinema heroine but she could only get the work as a touch up artist, and an extra. The late Vinu Chakravarthy then spotted her and cast her in 'Vandichakkaram' in 1980 as a bar girl named Silk and she was christened Silk Smitha a name that made her world famous.

Smitha who then became the dream girl of Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi cinema fans and rarely a film released without her item dance song. On September 23rd 1996 the much loved actress was found dead in her house in Chennai and it was ruled a suicide.

Silk Smitha before her death had handwritten a letter in which she shared her tragic life. The letter has now gone viral on the internet. The rough translation from Telugu to English reads “Only I know how hard I worked to become an actress. No one loved me. Only Babu (Dr. Radhakrishnan) treated me with a little love. Everyone would exploit my work. I have so many desires in life. There is also a desire to fulfill them all. But I have no peace wherever I go. Everyone’s actions were disturbing to me. Thats why death beckons me. I have done good for everyone and yet my life is like this? God, what is the justification? I have to give half of the property I earned to Babu. I loved him so much and sincerely too. I believed that he would never cheat on me but he did just that.

The sexy actress who was 35 at the time of her death added 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’ve 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.

Silk continued with deep sorrow Lots of people used my body. Many have taken advantage of my work. I do not thank anyone except Babu. For the past five years someone has been saying that he would give me a 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 … “