The Dirty Picture
Hindi (A) Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor Director: Milan Luthria
Filmmakers hate her, critics never wrote a single good word about her, yet many want her — rather her body to be more specific — in their films to produce a runaway hit.
She is Reshma aka Silk, a small-town girl who wants to make it big in the tinsel world.
A biopic on sex siren Silk Smitha, The Dirty Picture bares the dirty secrets of the male-dominated glamorous world, where filmmakers feel “jawani taste karne ke liye hoti hai, waste karne ke liye nahi”.
Dreams in her eyes, soon-to-be-bride Reshma runs away from her house only to find herself amid a ready-to-exploit society. After being rejected many times, Reshma gets an opportunity she grabs with both hands.
Enter Silk, who leaves the entire film industry gasping for breath with her beautiful body and bold scenes. Soon Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah), the superstar, takes a backseat and sees the 501st woman in his life (read bed) rising. There are others she meets along the way, director Abraham (Emraan Hashmi) who vehemently hates Silk, Surya’s writer brother Ramakant (Tusshar Kapoor) and other filmmakers who use her body to attract movie goers. Success follows Silk, as do alcoholism and heartbreak as Suryakant distances himself from her.
Directed by Milan Luthria and written by Rajat Arora, The Dirty Picture is a complete entertainer. Arora’s one-liners only add spice to the already hot and spicy script. There are many heroes in the film, but it is Vidya who overshadows even Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi. Music by Vishal-Shekar is good, while naughty double entendres add humour. The Dirty Picture is not only about sex and sleaze, it also narrates the story of a struggling actor who compromises with the situation only to fulfil her dream of becoming a star.
Milan Luthria has done a great job, although the length of the film may work against him. Despite doing a great job, Vidya is still far from the original sex symbol, Silk Smitha. No harm in getting dirty, at least once.
