With her dusky skin, luscious lips, curvaceous figure and that ‘come hither’ look in those beautiful eyes, she became the epitome of erotica in the south Indian film industry during the 80s. In life as in death, the bold and bohemian Vijayalakshmi, popularly known as Silk Smitha, has always been a subject of fascination and discussion in showbiz. For the masses, Silk Smitha was a sex siren oozing sensuality, but taking an entirely different curve on the life of the star is director Anil with his upcoming movie Climax.
“Climax is a realistic take on Silk’s life which the public has not seen so far. The Silk that we see onscreen was not how Silk Smitha really was,” says Anil. This certainly is not the first film based on the life of Silk Smitha, with Vidya Balan’s epochal The Dirty Picture being the latest to spring to memory.
Ask Anil whether Climax is inspired by it, and he vehemently denies. “Definitely no. There is no resemblance with the Hindi movie. Climax is about the real story of an actress. In Dirty Picture, facts were tweaked and Silk Smitha’s character was portrayed in a rather negative light, but that was far from reality. She was a person who yearned to be loved and cared for,” clarifies Anil. South Indian actress Sana Khan will essay the role of Silk in the movie.
Through the movie the director tries to bring to the fore the person behind the phenomenon called Silk. “Nobody cares how Silk walked, talked or behaved in real life or what she wore when she was in the comfort of her home. Climax is not about the glamourously dressed siren who everyone saw on screen, but about the simple, level-headed girl that no one knows about,” he adds.
The biopic revolves around a handful of characters and three of them play pivotal roles in the movie. “One is Silk’s mother, played by Shanti Williams, another is her mentor, played by Suresh Krishna and third is the character of her mentor’s son who is a die-hard fan of Silk. The role is played by newcomer Subin Sunny,” reveals Anil.
The movie being womancentric, ask Anil how fitting Sana is in the lead character, he says, “The movie discusses Silk’s personal life and demanded an actor who could perform, and not just look sexy. So, from thousands of profiles, Sana Khan was shortlisted.”
Climax could not have been a more fitting tribute, for the film’s story is by Antony Eastman, the man who introduced Silk Smitha to Malayalam film industry through Inaye Thedi. The script is penned by Kaloor Dennis. “It was when Antony saw The Dirty Picture that he called me and said ‘this is not what Smitha was. She is portrayed in the wrong sense. So let’s show people what Silk actually was.’ This is how Climax happened,” says Kaloor Dennis about the inspiration to make the biopic on her.
Silk Smitha had acted in more that 15 films scripted by Dennis. “Silk was very softhearted and humble person. Even when she was at the peak of her career, she had no airs. Once I went to meet her regarding a project at AVM studios in Chennai, she was shooting with Rajanikanth. As soon as she saw me, she literally jumped from her seat and enquired about my wellbeing,” recollects Dennis. “She wished for a change from what she was doing and wanted to play a good character. That’s how I wrote the character of ‘Clara’ for her in Thumboli Kadappuram,” he adds.
Climax, which will hit theatres on April 19, is produced by P J Thomas. Berny Ignesious has composed the music for Vayalar Sharath’s lyrics.