The Dirty Picture

About the film

The Dirty Picture is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, an Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. The filmmakers have clarified that the story is not officially or literally based on Smitha alone, but on many of her contemporaries such as Disco Shanti. It also resembles the personal lives of other women in popular culture, including actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. The film was directed by Milan Luthria and co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, after Ekta came up with the idea and asked screenwriter Rajat Aroraa to pen a story based on it.

Produced on a budget of ₹18 crore (US$1.9 million), The Dirty Picture was released worldwide on 2 December 2011 (the anniversary of Smitha's birth), in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil versions. Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Tusshar Kapoor star in lead roles. Upon release, it was a critical and commercial success, with Balan's performance receiving widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades; she was called "the hero of the film". In addition, the film has received high praise for portraying women as powerful, contributing something unique to a typically male-dominated society. The film's soundtrack, composed by Vishal–Shekhar with lyrics written by Rajat Aroraa, also became a commercial success with the song "Ooh La La" become one of the chartbusters of the year.

Plot

In the early 1980s, on the eve of her arranged marriage, Reshma, a young woman from rural Tamil Nadu, runs away from her village to Madras with aspirations of becoming a film actress. She finds accommodation in a poor neighbourhood and begins working at an eatery run by Ratnamma, a single woman. Raised as a tomboy, Reshma attracts attention from several men because of her appearance. Despite attending numerous auditions, she is repeatedly rejected. During one audition, a casting director insults her appearance but gives her money after noticing that she is starving.

One evening, a neighbour invites Reshma to a cinema to watch a film starring her childhood idol, Suryakanth. During the screening, he sexually harasses her and offers her money in exchange for sex. Although Reshma leaves the theatre in distress, the incident leads her to reconsider how she might secure opportunities in the film industry.

Reshma later auditions as a background dancer. Her performance, characterised by sensual dance movements, impresses an assistant director. However, when the film's director, Abraham, reviews the footage, he disapproves of the performance and removes her sequence from the completed film. Reshma and Ratnamma attend the film's release expecting to see her on screen, only to discover that her scene has been cut.

Production

Ekta Kapoor launched the film with director Milan Luthria soon after their collaboration Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai became a hit. She said that The Dirty Picture is my picture it shows how life had been to me

would be India's answer to the Academy Award-nominated film Boogie Nights. Later in a press conference, Kapoor clarified that neither of Balaji's forthcoming films, Ragini MMS nor The Dirty Picture, were "porn films" as they had been made out to be.

Kapoor has gone on record to add, "I would be surprised if I don't get unbelievable critical acclaim for The Dirty Picture and a national award for my actress, Vidya Balan. The film has one of the most well-written scripts I have come across and a lot of youngsters in my office have looked at it with great admiration." She pointed out that the purpose of the film was neither to justify nor criticise Smitha's life but for the audience to live her life. Additionally, all actors, including Balan and Shah attended workshops for almost two months before filming began, to familiarise themselves with the body language of their characters.

Marketing

The first look of The Dirty Picture and a short teaser were launched online on 26 August 2011. The enthusiastic response even prompted its producers to consider a sequel. The film's trailer on YouTube got over 500,000 hits in one day and one million hits in two days. Meanwhile, the theatrical trailer was launched on 30 August at a single screen cinema in Bandra. The space was especially decorated to recreate the retro era. Since the film is set in the 1980s, a time when multiplexes did not exist, the producers thought it would be fitting to show the première on a single screen.

The lead stars created publicity by organising a promotional campaign in the festival of Mithibai College on 30 November. As a part of the film promotion, actors Vidya Balan, Tusshar Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi made appearances on the popular TV show Bigg Boss aired on Colors on 26 November 2011. Balan also entered the house to spend some time with the housemates and present a red sari to Sunny Leone, as a present. On 27 November 2011, Balan and Hashmi made guest appearances on a special episode of the TV series Bade Achhe Lagte Hain. Balan shook leg to the song, "Ooh La La" with Saakshi Tanwar, the female lead actress of the show.

Music

T-Series acquired the music rights for The Dirty Picture. Vishal–Shekhar composed four tracks and Rajat Arora penned the lyrics for them. The first of the four tracks, "Ooh La La," sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Bappi Lahiri was released on the internet on 4 November 2011, along with the soundtrack. "Ooh La La" was featured in Fox American sitcom television series New Girl episode "Big Mama P". and was used in some regional films, including in Race Gurram. The Tamil song "Nakka Mukka" was featured in the film.

Key details