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Getting dirty for a role

4/12/2011

24 Comments

 
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As the fat and fading film star, desperate for a role, she is almost bursting out of her skimpy blouse as she sits talking to a film director, ugly rolls of stomach hanging over the waistband of her circulation-stifling mini-skirt. He taunts her that he can still treat her to a cup of coffee. “Do Silk coffee lana,” she calls out to the waiter and tips the ash off her cigarette with: “Yahan mere naam ki coffee milti hai”. 

In doing that she gives a fascinating dignity to sleaze. I know that’s a paradox. But so seamlessly does film actor Vidya Balan merge with Silk, the sex symbol of the eighties whose life ended in tragedy, that the two become one. In a strangely symbiotic cinematic relationship, Balan gets to do the role of a
lifetime, while Silk acquires a dignity that could never be hers in life. 

What you must watch The Dirty Picture (agreed, ridiculous name) for is the exquisite hold over the craft that lets an actor get under the skin of a role, and fling it at us - warts and zits oozing in our faces. Balan plays Silk with so much conviction that you can only gasp at her fearlessness. She lets absolutely nothing stand between her and the voyeuristic audience. Eventually, you want to look away. But the camera doesn’t let you. It shows you the strain under her eyes, the cracking makeup, the sagging skin, the film star cracking under loneliness and alcoholism, desperate to hold on to something that is long gone.  

But that comes later in the film. The OMG moments start with Silk’s audacious on-the-knees seduction of aging superstar Surya (Naseeruddin Shah lying lewdly sprawled on a couch) for a role. She gets the men in the front rows whistling with her raunchy or revolting (depending on whether you are male or male-with-double-standards) tongue moves over black lipsticked lips. She gyrates on the grass with an egg poaching on the belly button. Whether she is shifting attention away from her tacky house by giving an interview from the bathtub; or she’s letting Surya’s baby put a hand on her breast and then looking into his wife’s eyes with: baap pe gaya hai; Vidya makes no excuses for her character. She plays Silk the way she sees her: as a no holds barred ambitious girl who rises above poverty and hunger by using what she has to get where she wants to in a male dominated industry. She thinks she has won, only to learn that the world still belongs to men.

Catch her hungry and uncouth, undiscovered yet - eating rice with her fingers at a cheap roadside joint. In a cheap cotton sari, without makeup, in the darkness of a cinema hall, delightedly picking up coins flung as lusty male response to her first onscreen song. Breaking down as she watches (from the keyhole) a guilty Surya making dutiful love to his wife, after rudely  pushing her into the bathroom when they are almost caught together. Watch her drunkenly applying red nailpaint with shakey hands as she dresses up one last time and then takes an overdose of sleeping pills, lonely and forgotten by the same men who lusted after her.

Despite the tacky script, the insipid direction, the nonsensical storyline, the film deserves a watch. For Naseeruddin Shah’s Surya, a completely over the top film star with no talent but a craving for female flesh and dialogues like, “Jawaani toh chakhne ke liye hoti hai.” And for Vidya Balan’s magic of
conviction. We finally have an actor who has dared to go where no Bollywood brave has gone before. I know this sounds feministic, but feels good that she's a woman.

For Bhappi Lahiri's rediscovered genius and Naseer's Surya moves: 

24 Comments
BIG B JB
4/12/2011 12:34:53 am

Very well written once again...now point to ponder...what are we trying to show our society..?? what is the aim of this kind of movies..? May be Director wants to show the sleazy behaviour of a charecter..or plight of an over ambitious woman who wish to rise high or have dream to touch the sky without having any capabilities so chooses this easy path to rise and finally disgusted with life ends her life..or it is a true depiction of Cinema life..? what I feel if one is capable...reaching goal is bit easy but incapable person taking short cut to achieve desired goal may give ons temporary satisfaction but end is always bad..or you can say concious is always dirty..... May be this is another trend to get so called Name, Fame and wealth...but End is always bad... I have not seen this movie but now I am going to watch it.....wonderful article and very well written .....loved it

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Geets
4/12/2011 12:42:22 am

Love these glimpses into your mind. You write beautifully and I might end up watching the movie, just because I read this piece.

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Ritha Hegde
4/12/2011 12:53:04 am

Film critics were sitting safely on their couches all these days. But if they read this article, and see how its getting many ppl watch the movie....tough competition for them :)
I wasnt very sure if I wanted to watch this movie, but I guess I will now...just for Vidya Balan. Will give you my reviews after I see it too :)

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ather
4/12/2011 01:47:56 am

Vidya certainly is an actress of many talents and the trailers for the film with the Ooh La La number are whetting people's appetites for the film. I guess this movie is another telling reminder of the sordid goings-on behind what we see on screen (and sometimes what we do see) and the lengths people have to go for fame and notoriety.

Thanks for the insight from a female perspective Rachna. I guess it is difficult for blokes to be objective as it is the voyeur within us that is part of the problem.

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richa
4/12/2011 03:22:28 am

Just come back from watching Vidya in TDP.
Love the movie, Vidya and your Article ;)

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noopur
4/12/2011 08:58:31 am

me and Piyush are going for it tonight ...its decided now........after reading your review :)

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Shailaja Ranjan Rj
4/12/2011 12:55:47 pm

Well Written Mam.

This film has always been in my mind since I have heard about it .The theme hits you hard and I am sure each words of your blog brings the same feeling. Well thought and well provoked.

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Mahendra
4/12/2011 01:24:39 pm

Excellent review, so Rachna if you get bored with the blog you can start writing movie reviews (and fortunately 90% of Indian movies provide the reviewer unlimited opportunities to practice his/her skills of sarcasm and ridicule - so you could be both sensitive/erudite as well as catty/venomous the same week)

My interest in the movie is piqued; but for this review I would have let it go just by reading the name (or maybe gone in with some entirely different expectations...). But as Big B says, I do wonder what they are trying to show here - as well as what % of the audience is able to appreciate the nuances you see there (or do they even care? I can imagine a certain category would be actually thrilled to see Vidya Balan put on some weight and start resembling the well built South Indian Venuses)

Looking forward to the next movie review, preferrable at the catty/venomous end of the spectrum.

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Gary
4/12/2011 03:21:15 pm

Lovely review will surely watch the mOvie

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Manoj Rawat
4/12/2011 11:28:22 pm

They say every dog has its day. This one belongs to Vidya. Sometime back I read an interview of the producer who discovered Silk Smitha. He had said that Vidya Balan was absolutely the wrong choice for the role. But she has done a great job and shown us what a good actor can do. Hats off

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Preeti
5/12/2011 05:03:34 am

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Preeti
5/12/2011 05:06:01 am

oops, too quick on the keyboard. Nicely written, Rachna. Definitely whetted my appetite to make an effort to see this movie. Vidya Balan is great usually so this should be interesting.

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Jhoomar
5/12/2011 01:24:56 pm

Vidya Balan seems to be Silk Smitha's polar opposite so I can't quite see her in this role.....have to watch the movie now!

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RITEN
6/12/2011 08:22:56 pm

Rachna,

U must get started on Film Reviews,there's nothing dirty about that and wow U surely have catapulted a large number of on the Fence guys to watch the movie.They named it Dirty Picture in the first place becoz someone wants to call a spade a spade.
The script at the Emraan Hashmi phase is excellent,Naseer has done a wonderful job and Vidya is super. Super story and absolutely current.

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RITEN
6/12/2011 08:26:52 pm

Rachna,

U must get started on Film Reviews,there's nothing dirty about that and wow U surely have catapulted a large number of on the Fence guys to watch the movie.
They named it Dirty Picture in the first place becoz someone wants to call a spade a spade.
The script at the Emraan Hashmi phase is excellent,Naseer has done a wonderful job and Vidya is super.You have brought out the sleaze and the undercurrent.Super story and absolutely current.

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deepak gera
6/12/2011 08:31:56 pm

Good to see that you are writing reviews...ye film dekhne layak hai lo....its not dirty at all...rather a treat...fantastic dialogues by rajat and top notch direction by milan lutharia....Vidya ke kya kehne..naseer first rated...hashmi too...tusshar disappoints...and last half hr of film drags...still worth watching...

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Rachna
6/12/2011 08:38:52 pm

While the views of readers are respected, some comments have been edited to better suit the spirit of the blog.

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Rachna
2/1/2012 11:39:39 pm

Just checking if the comments have been stringed

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Anima
10/12/2011 12:46:45 pm

Haven't seen the movie yet but made me feel so proud of Vidya Balan after reading your blog... excellent blog!

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jwala
12/12/2011 04:28:16 pm

Hi,
Its too late ....but still very well said
and after reading this I am going to watch the movie,

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tanu
18/12/2011 01:28:41 am

saw it last friday before i read your blog and must say that great minds think alike. which means i agree with your review completely. I too thought that vidya balan was the wrong choice to play silk smitha physically coz they are poles apart in appearance but after watching the movie had to admit that she has done a fantastic job more so becoz of the physical dissimilarity. It was a rather touching potrayal of a girl who thought she didn't care discovering too late that she did and that however double their standards may be it will always be a man's world Naseer was mindblowing Emraan as usual got away with the best song in the movie Ekta kapoor must be laughing all the way to the bank and Tushar kapoor got to star in what is definately going to be an award winning movie. Add to this the fact that it was total paisa wasool for serious movie goers as well as the front benchers its a win- win situatin all around.Bet it sweeps the awards next year....!

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Anisha
19/12/2011 03:26:51 am

Great review Rachna! As usual good read.
zA

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Anisha
19/12/2011 06:02:31 am

keystroke error..so continuing my comment :-) I couldn't imagine a movie being made after "Silk", posters of which i sneaked in a look without actually looking at.. but its a darn good movie, well made, enjoyable, touching and Vidya did full justice to the role!

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juicyass link
19/10/2013 07:16:57 pm

Interesting read.

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    Rachna Bisht Rawat is a full time mom and part time writer. She is married to an Army officer whose work takes the family to some of the most interesting corners of India.

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