Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi, known professionally as Lakshmi, is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in the South Indian film industry. She has also acted in some Hindi films. Her debut as a full fledged actress happened with the Tamil film Jeevanaamsam in 1968. In the same year, she acted in the Kannada film Goa Dalli CID 999 and Telugu film Bandhavyalu.

Jeevanamsam ( transl. Alimony) is a 1968 Indian Tamil language drama film, directed and written by Malliyam Rajagopal. The film, his directorial debut, is based on his play of the same name. It stars Jaishankar and C. R. Vijayakumari, while A. V. M. Rajan, Pushpalatha, Sivakumar, debutante Lakshmi and Nagesh playing pivotal roles. The film, released on 21 October 1968, was successful at the box office.