The Dirty Picture: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Film

- December 1, 2011 | 7:15 PM IST

Vidya Balan has been spicing up our screens for quite some time. Koimoi.com brings you 10 things you didn’t know about The Dirty Picture:

Remembering Birthday Girl Silk Smitha

The Dirty Picture releases on December 2, 2011. The film’s release date was decided on the 2nd so that it coincided with south Indian sex siren Silk Smitha’s birthday.

Meeting The Characters

Naseeruddin Shah and Vidya Balan shake a leg in The Dirty Picture.

Director Milan Luthira briefly interacted with some of the famous sex symbols of the 80s. While assisting director Mahesh Bhatt in the early 90s, Milan Luthria got a chance to observe Silk Smitha in Naraaz and Disco Shanti in Najaayaz. Milan was shooting for item songs with the two actresses then.

Not Based On Silk Smitha

Director Milan Luthria and producer Ekta Kapoor claim that the film is not based on the life of Silk Smitha. They claim that though Vidya Balan’s character in The Dirty Picture is called ‘Silk’, her character “comes close to the stereotype of the era that includes the likes of Silk Smitha, Disco Shanti, Polyester Padmini or Nylon Nalini.”

Biryani For Emraan

During the shoot of the song Ishq Sufiyana at the Bidar Fort near Hyderabad, a huge crowd had gathered there to catch a glimpse of their stars. The Hyderabadis were so impressed by Emraan that they invited him to their homes for biryani. “Maybe I’ll take up their offers the next time I’m in Hyderabad!” said the amused star.

Parliament & Trams For Promotions!

While Emraan Hashmi promoted The Dirty Picture outside the Parliament in Delhi, Vidya Balan hopped on a tram in Kolkata to promote their movie. Both promotional moves are considered to be the first in their kind.

Inspiration From Family

Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture.

Emraan Hashmi’s role, as the angry director, is reportedly slightly based on his uncle, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

100 Dresses And More

Says Vidya Balan about the number of costume changes she had to do for The Dirty Picture, “Milan was so particular about each and every aspect of my look in the film. In fact, as I play Silk, an actress, I had about a hundred costumes to wear in the film. Designer Niharika Khan and Milan had decided each and every look of mine in great detail even before we started shooting.”

Keeping It Under Wraps

Vidya is quite frank when it comes to disclosing how they shot the bold scenes in the movie. “Whenever we shot a scene that was bold, I got a little nervous. But I had made up my mind to do the film with full dedication and also Milan supported me a lot.” What helped Vidya was the presence of several women in the crew of the film. “Milan had made sure that they were there so that I could feel comfortable during the shooting. The dress designer, the choreographer, several assistant directors — they all were females,” she adds.

Wooing Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan went the whole hog when she agreed to play the role of Silk in The Dirty Picture. But Milan had a hard time convincing her to accept the role. Says Vidya, “When it was offered to me, I liked the script but I realised that the role was unconventional and so was the casting. I asked Milan why he wanted to cast me for the role, but he still hasn’t answered. I thought a lot about the role and whether I should do it. Lots of people told me not to. But a few meetings with Milan made it clear to me that he did not intend to portray the film industry in a dark light, as is usual with films made about the industry. Instead, he wanted to depict the journey of a woman who makes it in the industry. Convinced, I jumped on board.”

Dirty Picture But Medium Budget

In keeping with their recent track record, producers Balaji Motion Picture made sure that the budget of The Dirty Picture was under control. The total budget (including production, promotion and release costs) is in the range of Rs. 28-29 crore.