The Dirty Picture- BOMBAAT movie of 2011

My ratings for this movie is 4 out of 5 stars.

Many will argue that this film is filthy, lewd, sleazy and every other word that conveys the same. But since it's based on a character who personifies all these adjectives, it only ends up being a deliciously dirty tribute.

The unofficial biopic is based on the life of famous south Indian dancing diva and actress, Silk Smitha. The story shows her erotic personality and her lustful life.

The ’80s was probably the lowest point in our cinema. Doodh ka karz, behen ka badla and maa kasam ruled, as plot lines of each film. The story almost always revolved around the film’s lead star, a comedy track was a must, there had to be a punch line in every scene, and it was a necessary ingredient. There was also a vamp walk an attempt to impress others in skimpily clad outfits around the good-hearted hero.

And that is what The Dirty Picture does. Meant to be a biopic of south siren Silk Smitha, the film really is a recreation of an era when this type of cinema was cool. It also pays tribute to all things silly about our films.  Vidya plays a struggling junior artist Reshma, she gets a small break in a song but film’s intellectual & rigid director Ebrahim(Emraan Hashmi) edits it out. When the film bombs, the desperate producer Selvaganesh(Rajesh Sharma) reinserts the song is in theatres and the cash registers begin to jingle. Selva traces the girl and renames her Silk. She got her first big break -- an item song with superstar Suryakant. Suryakant does not like her but Silk decides to seduce him and he quickly turns into her mentor. Wherever she goes, she snatches the spotlight, drawing attention to herself using her body, “Jab uparwaale ne zindagi ek hi di hai toh dobara kya sochna” is her philosophy of life. When a lover wants to introduce her to his parents, she cheekily asks him what his dad;s age is! The Indian man derives his desires from ancient sculptures, like from the caves of Khajuraho or Ajanta-Ellora. Silk is that for the silver screen. Soon Silk became as the top celebrity, at that stage, Suryakant’s younger brother Ramakant (Tusshar Kapoor) enters her life and falls in love with her. He is an aspiring scriptwriter. But this relationship also fizzles out when Ramakant wants her to leave films and get married. Silk’s journey comes to halt when a new girl arrives and she alienates all her fans & supporters. But Ebrahim is a failed filmmaker and he finally decides to make an entertainer with himself as a hero in a triple role. Competing with him Silk invests all her earnings into a similar script. Ebrahim’s film is a hit, Silk loses all. And a strange love-hate bond develops between them.

Vidya Balan pulls off Silk in a manner no current female actor can. This Vidya’s performance is one of the boldest & bravest roles so far in the history of Bollywood. Emraan Hashmi, on the other hand, is good. The chemistry between him and Vidya is sizzling (the two dislike each other, making their scenes interesting). Naseeruddin Shah gives a pitch-perfect performance as matinee idol Suryakant, each body movement laudable; every expression priceless. Shah makes the role his own, making it impossible to envision any other actor in his place. Tusshar does not have much scope. Hats off to Milan Luthria for handling such a controversial theme with such sensitivity and boldness. Also it is the naughty dialogues of the films which add a spicy flavor in the movie.

The music is good, composed by duo Vishal-Shekhar. Ooh la la is already rocking the charts by beating Chammak Challo and Sadda Haq. This Bappi Da’s track is a very strong contender to become the ‘Song of the year’.

The only reason why you need to watch this movie is Vidya Balan. This the most BOMBAAT (fantastic in Kannada) movie of this year. Go & watch this delicious dirty movie!

Silk concludes – There are three things you need for a successful film: entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. Over here, “I am the entertainment.” She is absolutely right!