Ekta Kapoor and Vidya Balan Celebrating the Success of The Dirty Picture

The dirty Picture has reportedly collected more than Rs. 50 Crore in the first week after being released on 2nd December. This is by any means a great achievement for any Bollywood movie.

Producer Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture has surprised those who have been very critical of the success of the movie.

Not to mention all the controversies which has marred this movie since it was announced. The Dirty Picture has survived all adversities – Courts, The Indian Censor Board, the public outcry – and has come out clean. It must have been a very lucky escape for the movie makers.

The Dirty Picture reviews have been more or less positive from the critics.

The Dirty Picture has been also released in foreign countries. In UK the initial signs shows that movie has been performing well.

Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture Poster

Vidya Balan’s one of the most controversial film of Bollywood has got tremendous love and support from the audience. No wonder the film has successfully earned 20.32 crores domestically since its Friday release.

“The response is fantabulous. We are doing well in A, B, C centres. It’s holding on, it is not a one day wonder,” Girish Johar, head of acquisition and distribution, Balaji Motion Pictures, told a tabloid.

Adding further Girish says, “We released the film on 1766 screens, but the response is such that we are adding 30 to 40 screens. Even multiplexes are increasing the screening of the film.”

Director Milan Luthria and Producer Ekta Kapoor have beautifully crafted the era of 80s along with the promising star cast of the film including Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor.

The makers claim that the film is not a biopic of Silk Smitha, the south sensation. However, it could be said that the film is an out an out Vidya Balan’s film. Girish says, “The Dirty Picture is the highest grosser for a Vidya starrer and a Emraan starrer ever.”

Vidya Balan was though much criticized by many for her bold avatar on screen but it seems that her hard work is rightly paid off. Critics however feel that the script could have been more meaty and substantial but they are all praises for Vidya’s performance.

Saturday saw a 13 percent jump from Friday collections. “The film is poised for a record creating opening weekend ahead of some of the biggest blockbuster of the recent time. It has already found place on the top 10 list,” said Johar.

Vidya Balan at the Premier of The Dirty Picture in Dubai

Bollywood celebrities gathered in Dubai for a world premiere of The Dirty Picture.

One of the most controversial alleged bio-pic on Silk Smitha ‘The Dirty Picture’, saw Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor strut in the spotlight on December 1^st at the Grand Cineplex, Wafi for the film’s first screening, which is being timed with the celebrations of the UAE’s 40th National Day.

Before the Red Carpet Evening Event, Alt Entertainment in association with Cinergy Independent Film Services, was expected to arrange few promotional events for the film.

Set against the flashy world of film industry, the movie is woven with keeping the backdrop of the fierce male dominated society in the south Indian film industry during 80s. The rise and fall of Reshma, whose character is based on the late Southern starlet, Silk Smitha, makes the story of the movie.

Directed by Milan Luthria, the film is produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor.

Vidya Balan Promoting The Dirty Picture

“Yes, of course you can watch the film with your family. But since it’s been given an A certification, it is an adult film,” she says, “Which means all those people in your family who are above 18 years of age can watch the film.”

Nevertheless, Vidya Balan refuses any sort of vulgarity or nudity in the film despite of its certification. “If it’s made aesthetically, like “Dirty Picture” has been, there is nothing vulgar or cheap about the film. And if it was cheap, I wouldn’t have consented to doing it in the first place,” she adds.

Vidya is known as precursor of new genre of bold and women centric roles in Hindi film industry.

Vidya Balan says, “If audiences feel I am responsible for ushering in this new era, I am glad and grateful. But I am only doing roles that are closer to my own, personal beliefs, and in that I am getting to live my long cherished dream.”

Vidya Balan

Revealing more about the film she said, “The heroine’s name is Silk, but it is not based on Silk Smith’s life. The Dirty Picture is about a dancing star from 1980s. The writer thought to keep the name Silk just because in 80s it was a famous name in dancing. He thought by using the name we will be transferred to the period immediately.”

She might have enjoyed doing the dance sequences? “I enjoyed dancing, it is all reminiscent of the 80s,” said Vidya Balan.

The press conference was held at Fame, South City Mall, where Vidya Balan accompanied Tusshar Kapoor and music director Bappi Lahiri for her film promotion.

Bappi Lahiri, who sang the song ‘Ooh La La’ in the film, said, “Ooh La La has already became a big hit all over world. After 10 years, this song has become popular so fast which is awesome. The Dirty Picture is a good subject, the story is good and I want it to become super-hit.”

Tusshar said, “It’s a very challenging role and has a lot of shades to the character. The Dirty Picture is a three hero and one heroine film but Silk (heroine) is the main character and the story revolves around her character but we all have very important roles in the film.”

‘The Dirty Picture’ is set to release on 2 December.

Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture

Her brother V Naga Vara Prasad has already sent a legal notice to Ekta Kapoor, the producer of the movie’ and Milan Luthria, the director, for not seeking prior permission from his family to make a film on his sister’s life.

Moreover he claims that Ekta’s film is an obscene movie. It is full of unnecessary bold sequences. Prasad also claims that no one form Ekta’s team ever tried to contact him to take consent from him. Reports suggest that Ekta Kapoor and her team made the film by the inputs provided by Smitha’s boyfriend who lives in Chennai.

Prasad, an agriculturist by profession, got to know about the film through television. He lives Kovvali village of Andhra Pradesh. Prasad says he is not interested in monetary settlements but he only wants that his and his family’s feelings shouldn’t be hurt by the movie.

Sources claim that Smitha committed suicide due to financial crisis but her brother claims in an interview that this might not be the truth.

As of now the Ekta and team haven’t replied to the legal notice of Prasad but he plans to send another in few days.

The Dirty Picture New Poster

This new poster has the 80s theme and charm.

The new poster shows the three lovers, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor eyeing for desirable Vidya Balan.

Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture

She was not hesitated to open up in front of the other cast and crew members of the film but no sooner than her father arrived the studios that she started feeling awkward. As everyone knows Vidya was not keeping good earlier this month and was hospitalized, so her father just stepped in Mehboob Studio where she was shooting.

Seeing her father her face grew pale and she felt uncomfortable shooting for steamy scenes in his presence. Confirming Vidya’s embarrassment a source said, “Vidya was nervous when her father was watching from behind the camera. Apart from the oomph factor, Vids also had to keep on smoking for the scene. This doubled her dilemma.”

When her father Mr. P.K. Balan realized that his daughter is not comfortable in his presence, he left the studio. “When he realized that she was inhibited seeing him on the sets, he went and spent time reading in her vanity van,” added the source.

Vidya Balan - The Dirty Picture

There has been great hype and controversies surrounding Ekta Kapoor’s “The Dirty Picture” ever since the film was announced. The surprising transformation of Vidya Balan from a demure girl next door to a sex symbol in “The Dirty Picture” has taken the industry by storm and so it is obvious that everyone is waiting eagerly for the release of the film that is slated for December 2.

The latest from the filmmakers is that the film will be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu as well to target the audience in the south too, since the film is based on the life of Silk Smitha, a sex siren from the south. So it is not only the north that will enjoy the movie but also the south that will get a taste of this highly controversial film.

According to a source connected with the film, “It seems quite relevant to have the film released in South Indian versions as Silk Smitha was hugely popular in South Indian films. The South Film Industry is more likely to relate to the film, which is a bio of Silk Smitha, rather than the north, which is a Bollywood enthusiast.” Besides Vidya Balan, who plays Silk Smitha, being a South Indian could enhance the fact.

As per rumours, the film is said to be chiefly based in the South having been shot mostly at the Ramoji Rao Studios, which is in Hyderabad. Also Naseeruddin Shah plays a typical superstar of South Indian films.