The Dirty Picture – review

Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture is based on Silk Smitha’s life and takes you back the Chennai sorry then Madras’s Kollywood diaries mixing fiction with real life story. I had been through 80’s and have seen quiet a number of Silk’s movies so when I saw the trailer of The Dirty Picture, I was bit skeptical on how Vidya Balan would fit the role. After watching the movie, I have to eat my doubts.  Performing such a role needs guts and Vidya balan has lived the character and I doubt any other contemporary actress of Bollywood could be bold enough and perform with such raunchiness, ease at the same time dirty like Vidya has done. Take a bow Vidya!

The film takes a journey from when a de-glam Reshma (Silk Smitha’s real name was Vijaya lakshmi and the film has avoided the real name for legal reasons) a run away woman and an eternal struggler looking for a filmi break. Finally after many disappointments, rejections and struggle she manages to get an item song which she grabs and scorches the reel with her hot moves and shakes.  Inspite of the director’s disapproval, she gets noticed by the producer and then begins a journey to ascendency of fame as every man’s fantasy queen “Silk”  all the while taking advantage of most men’s “eternal” weakness.  But then the personal life of Silk is not a fantasy material and then comes the decadency and a final good bye.

As far as Vishal-Shekar’s musical score, “Ooh La La” is the chart topper with Bappi Lahiri giving his spirited energy and soul to the song  while Ishq Sufiana sooths the mood.

Mithun Luthria maintains the control of the script all through the movie and credit should go to him to handle the subject deftly, boldly and fine balancing borderline of sensuality, raunchiness and dirtiness.

Ginger Chai Verdict: The Dirty Picture is bold, sensual, and raunchy and as the name implies dirty but beneath all this is an honest, genuine attempt in making a bold movie without any apprehensions and fear. It is definitely not a family movie but you will enjoy it with the right company but do watch it.  And as far, Vidya the dirty picture is her Awards picture, watch her bag the awards in 2012 for this movie.