Saturday 10 December 2011

The Dirty Picture [2011]


The movie’s producers, perhaps in order to sound cheeky, called The Dirty Picture as their answer to P.T. Anderson’s Boogie Nights. There does run a common thread between the two – not just in terms of the protagonists being in the business of “dirty pictures”, but also insofar as the brashness of their lives, and the meteoric rise (and equally brisk fall) they experience. Based on the tragic story of infamous Southern siren Silk Smitha, the movie has followed the spectacular life of Silk, a wannabe actress who earns instant stardom for her sexuality as also notoriety for being completely brazen about it both on- and off-screen. Yet, despite the fame and success she garners, howsoever short-lived might they be, her personal life never manages to move on a happy note – especially when it came to the matter of the heart. The weakest link for the film happens to be its uneven script. Though the first half manages to be rollicking fun for the viewers courtesy a plethora of risqué double entendre and in-your-face satire, the director should have attempted to rein in his over-indulgence beyond a point. Perhaps a more restrained and layered storytelling would have endeared Silk’s character to me more; the second half did attempt to take us into the darker side of her life by cutting down on the fun quotient, but the transition ought to have been made less drastic. However, what made the film interesting was Vidya Balan’s powerhouse, no-holds-barred performance as the brassy, buxom Silk. She literally owns every frame of the movie that she is part of with total aplomb.








Director: Milan Luthria
Genre: Comedy/Showbiz Satire/Biopic
Language: Hindi
Country: India

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