Anuradha comes from a film family. Her grandmother, Krishnabai, was a character actor, her father Krishnakumar, was a choreographer, and her mother Saroja, was a hairdresser. Born Sulochana, she was rechristened Anuradha by iconic Malayalam director KG George on the sets of his film Iniyaval Urangatte.
She first met Silk Smitha on the sets of Sivaji Ganesan’s film Mohana Punnagai, where Silk, who was four or five years her senior, was one of four girls featured in a song. “We didn’t speak much at that time,” Anuradha recalls.
Anuradha went on to become a heroine and acted in nearly 37 films. However, her career as a leading lady never really took off, and she eventually moved towards glamour and dancing roles. Her dancing skills often led the press to pit her against Silk Smitha.
“The press often dubbed me as Silk Smitha’s rival. Because of my dancing skills, people would constantly compare us and claim we were rivals,” she says. The two later worked together on a song for a Dasari Narayana Rao film, but Silk barely spoke to her during the two-day shoot.
According to Anuradha, Silk’s career took off with Vandichakram, following which Viji became Silk Smitha. She became a massive star, taking on a variety of roles, and eventually ventured into production with films such as Silk Silk Silk and Police Police. The latter reportedly lost money.
“When she produced a film, she approached me for a song. She sent her manager with instructions not to negotiate any terms and conditions with me. She even asked him to find out which hotel I preferred and what food I wanted. As a producer, she treated me extremely well.”
While Silk and Disco Shanthi worked the morning shift, Anuradha was required for the evening shift. During rehearsals, lead dancer Bhimraj accidentally dropped Anuradha from a height, injuring her foot. Silk, who was watching, flew into a rage and gave the dancer a piece of her mind. “She told him, ‘For us girls, our feet are what we get paid for. Who is going to compensate her if her leg is broken? Don’t you have any sense?’”
The incident brought the two women closer. Silk became protective of Anuradha and gradually developed a close friendship with her and her husband, Satish Kumar. Anuradha maintains that Silk wasn’t a particularly accomplished dancer, but her favourite choreographers, including Thara Master, understood her strengths. They taught her graceful movements and gave her relatively easy steps rather than demanding complicated routines. “Smitha was not a great dancer, but she knew how to use her eyes expressively and how to use her body.” She was also extremely particular about her appearance. Anuradha remembers her following a strict diet and exercise regimen and regularly working out on the treadmill at home.
Their friendship lasted nearly 10 years. During this period, Silk became involved with Dr Radhakrishnan. “Whenever I visited her house, we would exchange greetings with him, and he would leave us alone.”
Anuradha strongly dismisses rumours that Silk was addicted to drugs or alcohol. “People would say her eyes looked doped and that she was taking certain pills. But I know for a fact that none of this was true. She never had a drinking problem. Her eyes were naturally sultry, and she deliberately made them appear sleepy. I remember her dubbing artiste, Hema Malini, giving her that baby-like voice in her dialogues.”
According to Anuradha, the real Silk was very different from her public image. “Silk was actually a baby. She loved being pampered. She was a softie. All that harshness was just a façade to keep the wolves away. We dancers saw a different side of her.” Yet Anuradha admits that Silk could be highly strung and moody. She had built walls around herself, perhaps because of the unpleasant experiences she had faced early in her career. She was often unwilling to give producers and directors the benefit of the doubt. “I remember her throwing a royal fit once because the production manager hadn’t served her Bisleri water. She stopped shooting for nearly two hours. I was on the set, and she screamed at the producer, telling him, ‘Ask Anuradha how I treated her like a queen when she worked in my production. Don’t be cheap with me.’”
Behind that fierce exterior, however, was a woman who often felt terribly alone. “She would tell me wistfully, ‘You have a mother who looks after your dates and helps you invest wisely. Who do I have? Who will tell me not to waste money on productions? Who will secure my future? I have no one.’”
Despite their closeness, Anuradha says Silk rarely confided in her about her personal problems. Whatever financial or emotional difficulties she faced, she preferred to deal with them herself. “I don’t think she ever really let her guard down or trusted anyone too much.”
Anuradha remembers the days leading up to Silk’s death with a heavy heart. A few days before the tragedy, Silk had reportedly confided in Anuradha’s husband, Satish, that a Telugu actor had written her a letter in blood. The two were reportedly in a relationship, but the actor had decided to end it because his daughter had come of age and he felt continuing the relationship would be unfair to his child. “Smitha was heartbroken after that. I didn’t go on that outdoor shoot because I was held up elsewhere.”
Two days after returning from the shoot, a distraught Silk telephoned Anuradha and asked her to come over urgently. It was to be their last conversation. “She sounded terribly upset. But my husband was also returning from the same shoot that day. I told her I would drop my daughter off at school the next morning and then come to her house. She said, ‘Okay, don’t come now. It’s too late. I’ll see you tomorrow.’”
Anuradha has regretted that decision ever since. “The next day, I heard my husband screaming. The news was flashing that Smitha was dead. We rushed to her house, but by then they had already taken her body to the mortuary.”
Anuradha then rushed to the hospital with veteran actor Srividya. What they witnessed there remains etched in her memory. “Vidyamma and I were shocked to see Silk lying there in a skirt and top. Here was someone who took such pains to dress in the latest fashion, with the best make-up and accessories, lying in such a horrible state. My heart broke. There were flies buzzing around her face. It was horrible. We got some paper and took turns swatting away the flies.”
The police reportedly questioned Dr Radhakrishnan and his son, but foul play was ruled out. According to Anuradha, Silk had purchased a large flat in Saligramam for Rs 16 lakh, of which she had paid Rs 6 lakh. She says the doctor subsequently paid off the remaining amount and reportedly handed over all of Silk’s jewellery to her mother. Nothing more was heard about the doctor, and the case was eventually closed.
Even three decades later, Anuradha continues to carry the pain of that final telephone call. The thought that she might have been able to help her friend has never left her. “Even 30 years later, my heart is still heavy. I wish I had just gone to her that night. Who knows, maybe she might have still been alive…”
Also Read: Silk Smitha: The Woman Behind The Sex Symbol
