"K" Rating: 3.2 [in its genre]
Watch: DVD
If the boorish,in-your-face trailers of this movie left you astounded, then the movie will leave you gasping for air. Known for her raunchy movies, Ekta Kapoor's latest outing The Dirty Picture has it all - plunging necklines, dumpy hemlines, crassness aglore. However the intentional indecency is supported by a decent, touching storyline so the skin-show doesn't come across as sheer shameless sleaze. Infact the story and the subject kind of justify the rest.
The Dirty Picture is the biographical account of southern siren Silk Smitha. Her rise to stardom and her ultimate tragic downfall.A trend setter in the movie making business who turned even flop films into cash cows but faced the wrath of the so called keepers of moral police. She was condemed and denigrated by the very people who gave her the very work. The flick falters in the ending - the "downfall" seemed to be a bit hurried, also the sequence of Silk seeing her reflection and "waking" up to reality reminds one of the flick Fashion. Rajat Arora's dramatic dialogues and witty one-liners are impactful and also sprinkle plenty of humor. Dirty Picture spoofs heavily on the southern film industry.
Hats of to director Milan Lutharia for setting his film in an era [the 80's] in an environment [South Film Industry] completely foreign to today's audience. Everything from the fashion to the flab - alien in today's times, has been dished out for the audience.Music by Vishal Shekhar is apt for the film as it recreates era beautifully.Bappi Lahari's "Oh lala" complements the item numbers and is well contrasted with the soft soulful "Ishq Sufiana".
Vidya Balan's sheer audacity in portraying a sex-symbol with an unapologetic attitude is commendable. Its a risk which her contemporaries would think thrice before undertaking as it could backfire tarnishing her image. She stuns the audience and critics as she dawns the avatar of "Silk" to the hilt. The male ensemble caste stands firm on its own ground. Naseeruddin Shah is convincing as the aging, south superstar. Tushar Kapoor is comic. Emran Hashmi as the archetypal serious director brings class and morality to the movie.
This movie is not for the faint hearted nor the family audience[A certificate] but definitely for those who go for shock value. We would categorize it right up there with Dev D. Look beyond the packaging and you'll find a thought provoking story.
