Somewhere in the 1980s, scintillating dancers such as Nylon Nalini and ‘Silk' Smitha entertained thousands of viewers but no one cared to look beyond their on-screen image. Until now.
Milan Luthria's “The Dirty Picture” will go behind the scenes and look at the lives of these glam queens. “There was so much sex, glamour, tragedy and loneliness that came with their job. The film is not just about ‘Silk' Smitha, but also about other such popular dancers of the time,” says Milan.
Ekta Kapoor will produce the film, set in Chennai in the 1980s and shooting will start from March in Mumbai, Chennai and Ooty.
“The film will be made in Hindi but we're thinking of a Tamil release too. We're trying to recapture the feel of the 1980s, when the video revolution happened in India, by watching many films taken during that period,” he adds.
Vidya Balan will play the lead role of a woman who rises fast in her career in the film industry, becomes a heartthrob and then eventually goes through a downward spiral before meeting her end. “Vidya's a tremendous actor and has a sensual appeal that people are yet to discover. I wanted someone who is a blend of class and talent. That's the reason I did not go in for anobvious casting,” the director smiles.
Retro mode?
His earlier film, the successful “Once Upon A Time in Mumbai” was set in the 1970s. Is Milan in retro mode now? “It just happened,” points out Milan. “‘Once Upon…' was an unexpected success. But, ‘The Dirty Picture' is sheer coincidence. It was initiated by Ekta, and I found this very interesting subject with a lot of curiosity surrounding it. Yes, there's been a lot of talk about this trend, and a few films have been successful, but it is possibly because we can pull it off convincingly. The audience has also begun to enjoy different genres. ‘The Dirty Picture' is more like a portrait of a woman.”
Why this name? “Back then, movies featuring these actors were referred to as ‘dirty pictures', and they were accused of leading ‘dirty lives'. We want to show that in reality, they had a heart of gold,” stresses Milan.
(Milan Luthria is the Director of the Month on ‘50 Movies to See Before You Die' on UTV World Movies this November. Catch his favourite film, “American History” on November 25 at 9 p.m.)
