 After her success in "Julie", however, Lakshmi didn't star in many Hindi films and instead concentrated on doing more South Indian films.She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for "Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal" (1977), becoming one of the first South Indian actresses to win that category for a Tamil film.When her career as a leading lady ended in the 1980s, she started playing supporting roles as a mother and later as grandmother.