Birth anniversary special: 3 movies inspired by Silk Smitha’s life

Silk Smitha was a popular name in the film industry

There’s no denying the fact Silk Smita was one of the most popular stars in the film industry in the 1980s. She enjoyed a strong fan following due to her bold reel image and captivating screen presence. The ‘Siren’ acted alongside the biggest stars of her time -- right from Rajinikanth to Kamal Haasan -- proving that she belonged to the big league.

Over several years, several filmmakers have tried to capture key incidents from her chequered life through their work. On Wednesday, as fans remember the ‘Queen of Erotica’ on her birth anniversary, here is a look at three movies that touched upon her life.

The Dirty Picture: The 2011 release The Dirty Picture, starring actor Vidya Balan as ‘Silk’, was inspired by her life and highlighted her rise and fall. The Ekta Kapoor-backed movie emerged as a commercial success while receiving critical acclaim. Most critics felt that the Parineeta actor did a good job of bringing out the innocence and the sensuality of her character.

The biggie was, however, not a biopic as the storyline featured elements from the personal lives of several popular stars -- right from Marilyn Monroe to Disco Shanti. The Dirty Picture had an impressive cast that included Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi

Climax: The Malayalam movie Climax too was an ‘unofficial account’ of Silk Smitha’s life, The film featured Sana Khan in the lead role and revolved around the bond between a starlet and her mentor, The film, however, failed to impress critics and that the screenplay was not up to the mark. The cast included Suresh Krishna, Shanti Williams and Tollywood actor Lakshmi Sharma. Climax was dubbed in Tamil and Telugu as Oru Nadigayin Diary and Gajjala Gurram respectively.

Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath: The Kannada film industry tried capturing the essence of her life with Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga, starring Pakistani star Veena Malik in the lead Contrary to perception it was not a remake of the Vidya-starrer. The film, which featured quite a few bold scenes, made a decent impact at the box office. It was dubbed in Telugu as Red Mirchi.