not be deciphered, turning her death into an unsolved mystery. Filmography In popular culture In 2011, a film inspired by Silk Smitha's life, titled The Dirty Picture, was produced in Hindi by Ekta Kapoor. The movie was directed by Milan Luthria and starred Vidya Balan (who later won National Film Award for Best Actress). The movie was released on Smitha's birthday, along with its dubbed versions in Telugu and Tamil (2 December 2011) and received favourable reviews. Reports suggest that the family of Silk Smitha, on whom the film is based, is not happy with the movie. Smitha's brother, V. Naga Vara Prasad, claimed the film was made without the family's consent. After the claim, Ekta Kapoor immediately changed her statement by quoting The Dirty Picture is not based on Silk Smitha's life. In 2013, a Kannada film titled Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Hot, starring Pakistani actress Veena Malik was released. The film was based on Silk Smitha, and Veena Malik was praised for her performance in the film. The film was a hit in Karnataka. A Malayalam film titled Climax, starring Sana Khan as Silk Smitha released on 24 May 2013. References Further reading Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Oxford University Press, 1994 () Roopa Swaminathan, Star Dust: Vignettes from the Fringes of the Film Industry, Penguin, 2004 () Suparna Bhaskaran, 'Decolonizations, Queer Sexualities, Trans/National Projects'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 () External links 1960 births 1996 deaths Female suicides Telugu actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema Suicides by hanging in India Actresses from Andhra Pradesh Actresses in Malayalam cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Tamil cinema People from Eluru Actresses in Telugu cinema Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema 1996 suicides People from West Godavari district Artists who committed suicide