The Dirty Picture Review: The Dirty Picture A Must Watch for Everyone

The Dirty Picture A Must Watch for Everyone

So, after a long long time I saw a movie which really was worth watching and made me say Oah La La...!. Yeah, The Dirty Picture is really an Oah La La movie to watch. When you go to see a film that is based on the life of sex siren Silk Smitha who ruled the marquee in the 1980s giving the heroines a run for their money, then be ready to be assaulted with hard hitting dialogues –dialogues that go with the characterisation of the heroine, but that which may sound crass and downright crude if heard out of context.

Even as the credits of the The Dirty Picture are rolling, the candid dialogues mouthed by an outspoken Reshma (Vidya Balan), who runs away from home to try her luck in films will send you in a tizzy. The simple girl is insulted time and again for not having any oomph and that she should forget her dream. But the spunky less doesn’t give up and learns the ropes to climb higher and higher. Latching herself onto the superstar Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah), she carves a niche for herself. The graph shows her climb to superstardom where people enter the theatres only to see her gyrate and show their appreciation by throwing coins. She has no qualms about the kind of work that she is doing for she believes that people come to watch movies for three things – Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment. When she’s at the peak, she comes face to face with a fact that Suryakant who spends the nights with her, will never associate with her in public. High on the power that she wields in the industry, she doesn’t miss out on an opportunity to lash back at him. To hurt him she even seduces Suryakant’s younger brother Ramakant (Tusshar Kapoor). He falls for her (lots of laugh) and wants to marry her. But things don’t work out for them. The situations in her personal life start affecting her professional life and this is when her downfall starts. After a couple of incidents that have a negative impact on her career, film makers stop approaching her. To bring the magic back, she puts all her hard earned money in a film that has her in a triple role. The film bombs, signifying that she is all, but finished in the film industry.

Milan Luthria has once again, with The Dirty Picture proved that he is a master of storytelling. The movie is not about sex and sleaze alone and he has handled it with kids’ gloves. He brings out Vidya Balan’s best in her journey from a nobody to a superstar, and the arrogance that comes with the power and that this power can also lead to one’s downfall is ably demonstrated by him. An awesome first half of the Dirty Picture builds up the drama for the tense second half, that tends to draft a little. However, the power packed performance by Vidya Balan compensates for any loopholes and minor misses that one may encounter as the life story of Silk unfolds on the screen. Kudos to the director for making sure that The Dirty Picture is not dirty at all!

The movie definitely belongs to Vidya Balan who is simply uninhibited and bombastic in the role of a free spirted girl who lives her dream to the fullest till the deadly combination of arrogance, alcohol and a zilch bank balance bring about her end. Her bold performance is flawless in the Dirty Picture. She is such a natural that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Silk.

Naseeruddin Shah as the lecherous, narcissist southern superstar is a delight to watch. Emraan Hashmi as the director who would rather die than make movies with dirt like Silk and Tushar Kapoor lend able support. Anju Mahendroo as Nyla the journalist is good enough in The Dirty Picture.

The other highlight of the movie The Dirty Picture is the dialogues and screenplay written by Rajat Arora. Not for once does he lose sight of the narration and the characterisation. Many might contend that the dialogues are double meaning but if you weave it with the characters on the screen, they are bang on target. Sex and sleaze form a part of Silk’s journey to stardom, but the director’s handling of the sensitive subject and Rajat Arora’s powerful narrative make the movie The Dirty Picture an extremely enjoyable and meaningful watch for the classes as well. Mention must be made of the scene when Silk receives an award for her performance. The speech she makes at the gathering is an earful that will stay with the audience long after they walk out of the theatre, because that is the stark truth.

A must watch for Vidya Balan’s fabulous performance, Milan Luthria’s sensitive handling of the subject and Rajat Arora’s signature dialogues. Hats off to the whole team of The Dirty Picture.

At long last I have to say Oah la la to The Dirty Picture!