The Dirty Picture Review {4/5} & Review Rating
Intermittently, real life is far more appealing and compelling than fiction. And a biopic -- which attempts to recount a person's life story or at least the most historically momentous years of his/her life -- is most demanding for not just the storyteller/s, but also the actors who bracket together with those films. Occasionally, a dash of some imaginary anecdotes are incorporated in biopics, since the moviegoer seeks some diversion and entertainment in a movie, besides enlightenment.
Having said that I'd like to add that it's easier to take a recognizable route, to opt for the tried and tested, but it's frightfully difficult to be diverse. Producers Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor are known for accepting challenges and backing films like LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA, RAGINI MMS and SHOR IN THE CITY and along with director Milan Luthria and writer Rajat Aroraa had successfully recreated the bygone era with flourish in ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. Now THE DIRTY PICTURE fires all powerful bullets to stir your mind's eye.
The general feeling is, THE DIRTY PICTURE is a biopic on the life and times of Silk Smitha, a sought-after actress of the 80s. I personally feel that THE DIRTY PICTURE draws inspiration from the struggling female actors in the 80s, whose insurmountable and indomitable spirit made them emerge triumphant and create a distinctive space for themselves in the male-dominated industry. It's a recreation of an era, with the makers seeking motivation from a lot of characters to create this one woman.
Let me clear this at the very outset. THE DIRTY PICTURE not only draws attention to the life of a sex goddess, but also makes us responsive of the catastrophe behind the facade. Silk -- the principal character in THE DIRTY PICTURE -- provides titillation to millions of viewers, but dies a forlorn and heartbreaking death. She battles fame, fortune and alcohol. Brave, daring and provocative, THE DIRTY PICTURE doesn't cross the line into impropriety and offensiveness.
Envisage a junior artist who became the most sought after female protagonist of the early 80s. Chronicling the meteoric rise and steep fall of a screen sensation, THE DIRTY PICTURE is set against the colorful and entertaining setting of the South film industry of the 80s.
The quintessential siren, Silk, knew her spectators and it didn't seem like anything would stop the intensely motivated starlet, till it did, in the shape of unrequited love. To the world, she was the queen of sensuality. But, at heart, Silk was just another woman craving for true love. An unfortunate encounter with deceit and infidelity led to dire consequences!
THE DIRTY PICTURE is embellished with several powerful sequences. Note the sequence when Vidya convinces/seduces Naseeruddin Shah, after he refuses to work with her. It's remarkable. Also, the first encounter with Emraan Hashmi. Noteworthy! Much later, the volatile sequence at the awards ceremony [the