The Dirty Picture (2011)

‘Water Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink’. ‘The Dirty Picture’ brings out the paradoxical existence of the celebrity, someone whom everyone wants, but no one loves, a springboard for many ventures when on the ascent, but a sinking stone in the depths of anonymity when out of favor. The film is a hard hitting tribute, but is more of a mirror held to the grime behind the celluloid, that is so often applied on those that want to make it big and also fuels the age-old debate about cinema-entertainment or meaning?

The story, told through a narrative by Abraham, a film director who loves to hate vulgarity on screen, begins with a young girl Reshma, with stars in her eye, who runs away from her mother’s protective care to Chennai. Here she tries her luck at becoming an actor and a dancer, but meets with failure time and again. Her hunger due to poverty and lack of work is only matched by her hunger to make it big, no matter what it takes. She finds a niche for herself when she discovers her innate oomph and sex appeal and brandishes it boldly to catch the eye of a producer Selva Ganesh. He names her Silk and casts her opposite an aging yet powerful superstar SuryaKanth, whom she beds to further her career.

As her popularity rises, so does her disillusionment with the way she is perceived, something that her starry eyes never cared for in the beginning. She is always the sidekick and never the bride. The lack of love and acceptance from the men in her life and the insults from an industry that also benefits financially from her sexy avatar, finally begins to tell as she distances herself from her supporters through acts of frustrated brazenness. As her body begins to lose shape and the booze takes over, her attitude plummets as do her film offers. She finds a new soul mate in her worst critic, the meaningful filmmaker, Abraham, who tries to salvage her sinking ship. Is he too late?

The structure of the story is clearly demarcated by the struggle, pinnacle and decline phases on either side of the interval. The screenplay by Rajat Arora is commendable for the energy it possesses, backed by hard hitting dialogue, bold costumes and in-your-face cleavage. The unsung hero of the film is Vishal-Shekar's soundtrack that transports you into the 80s with, hold your breath-Bappi Lahiri and the background score that makes you really feel every moan, grovel and gyration. Kudos for a neutral Hindi accent portrayal of South Indians, an undeservingly lampooned section of the population in Hindi cinema.

Milan Luthria attempts a dream subject for a director as he captures the rise and fall of arguably one of the biggest stars of the 80s, while being careful not to judge her, a very important factor in a biopic. He shows a mirror to the hypocritical view of skin show on screen, and to industry and media for the opportunistic manner in which they treat their golden gooses. However, he leaves the story imbalanced, by not focusing enough on the parallel track to Silk’s story, that of director Abraham’s conversion from a staunch proponent of meaningful cinema to a masala mama. 

One loses track of the countless Oscars and Golden Bears won by actors playing troubled, faded, fading and dead stars and celebrities. Vidya Balan stakes her claim to every major acting award in a performance that should set the gold standard for character acting in this generation. Everything about her seems transformed – her physicality, body language, suppleness and attitude. She is Silk and to portray Silk, she needed something that most actors in her generation don’t possess-guts. Naseeruddin Shah as Suryakanth, is superb as a lecherous old man, who believes in his own immortality as a star. Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor just about pass muster as Abraham and Ramakanth, Surya's younger brother.

‘The Dirty Picture’ is a superb and hard hitting tribute and tickles some reflection too.