Tamil TV actress Priyanka popular for her role in serial Vamsam was found dead on Wednesday at her residence in Valasaravakkam. Police report reveals that the actress died after hanging herself from a fan in her residence. The 32-year-old starlet, who got married three years, did not have any children, and due to this mental agony, the couple was living separately.
The suicide case of Priyanka is not the first one to be reported in the South Indian entertainment industry. Even though the general public considers actors as elite people who enjoy the heat and splendour of their lives, many of them have often fallen down in the race to achieve the ultimate glory. Disappointment is personal and professional lives often show its cruel face, and due to this elevated mental pressure, many artists have committed suicide in the past.
International Business Times India presents a list of five starlets apart from Priyanka who ended their lives themselves.
Mayoori
Mayoori was an actress who had proclaimed her presence in Mollywood and Kollywood alike. The actress debuted with the Tamil movie 'Kumbakonam Gopalu' which featured Pandiaraj in the lead role. Her major break came when she acted alongside Jayaram and Suresh Gopi in the Malayalam film 'Summer in Bethlehem'. The film emerged as a blockbuster at the box-office, and the performance of Mayoori as one among the five female leads was well received by critics.
The success of 'Summer in Bethlehem' helped her to rack up more acting offers, and the noted ones include 'Aakasha Ganga', 'Arayannangalude Veedu', 'Whistle', 'Manmadhan' and '7G Rainbow Colony'. Her last appearance on the big screen was in the 2005 movie 'Kana Kanden' which featured Prithviraj Sukumaran, Srikanth and Gopika in the lead roles.
Mayoori committed suicide on June 16, 2005, and she was aged just 22 then. After the initial investigation, police revealed that the actress had committed suicide after she lost faith in her life. After her death, many tabloids wrote that love failure and pressure from industry were the reasons which compelled her to commit suicide.
Silk Smitha
Silk Smitha was once the hottest sensation in the Indian film industry. The seductress had shared screen space with most of the top heroes in the industry including Rajinikanth, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan, and Suresh Gopi.
The actress who hailed from a Telugu family in Eluru left her studies in the fourth standard. Her marriage at a very young age did not last long, and she tried pursuing a career in the film industry to get better living conditions. Within so time, Smitha became the definition of seductive beauty among Indian film audiences. During her peak time, a photo of Silk Smitha in the posters of the movie was sufficient enough to draw audiences to the theaters.
However, on September 23, 1996, Silk Smitha was found dead in her Chennai home. At that time, it was reported that Silk Smitha had contacted her friend Anuradha to discuss something very important which was worrying her. Later, the post-mortem report revealed that Smitha has died of alcohol intoxication, many people still believe that there was foul play in her death.
Vijayasree
Even though a Keralite by birth, Vijayasree has acted in many Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies in the 1970s, and was widely considered a sex symbol among film buffs. The real reason behind the actress' death still remains a mystery, but many close sources to the industry reveal that it was the filthy deed of a producer which compelled the starlet to end her life.
As per reports, Vijayasree had a dress slip while shooting for a 1973 Malayalam movie. The producer apparently blackmailed the actress as he had the nude clip. Her mother complained to police informing all these incidents, but the investigation was hushed up for unknown reasons.
Monal
Monal, the sister of actress Simran, became a sensation among Kollywood youth after she acted in the movie 'Parvai Ondre Podhume' which had Kunal in the lead role. She later acted with Vijay in 'Badri' and Sarathkumar in 'Samudhiram'.
At the age of 21, she committed suicide by hanging from a fan in her Chennai apartment. After her death, Simran accused choreographer Prasanna Sujith as a reason for Monal's suicide. However, the real reason behind her suicide still remains a mystery.
It should be also noted that Kunal committed suicide in 2007, two years after the death of Monal.
Shoba
Shoba, the talented actress who won a National Award for her performance in 'Pasi', committed suicide at the age of 17 on May 1, 1980. During the peak of her career, she married legendary filmmaker Balu Mahendra. As per reports, the actress committed suicide as her relationship with the director was on the verge of a breakup.
Later, in 1983, Malayalam filmmaker KG George made a movie named 'Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback' based on the life of Sobha.
