Genelia D'Souza weds Riteish Deshmukh

Bollywood coupleRiteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza tied the knot today according to Marathi traditions in the presence of Bollywood and political biggies.

The marriage came at the end of an eight-year-long courtship with Riteish (32) and Genelia (24) taking their vows around a sacred fire at the suburban Grand Hyatt hotel.

The groom, wearing a white sherwani and red 'feta' (turban), entered the hotel riding a white 'ghodi'. Genelia wore a red and gold lehenga designed by Ritu Kumar.

The 'baaraat' started from the grounds near Grand Hyatt. Amidst the singing and dancing, Riteish, with his face covered with a 'sehra' (flower veil), waved excitedly while sitting on the horse.

The actor's Congress minister father Vilasrao Deshmukh was dressed in a brown sherwani.

Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel, Subodh Kant Sahay, Sunil Tatkare and Johny Joseph were among the political figures present at the wedding.

B-town guests present included Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajoland Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Sajid Khan, Karan Johar, Shahid Kapoor, Ashutosh Gowariker, Sajid Nadiadwala, Satish Shah, Asin, Jacky Bhagnani, Vashu Bhagnani, Ramesh Taurani, Nishka and Neeta Lulla.

Riteish took to Twitter last night, saying, "Saw the Last sunset as a Bachelor."

And soon after the wedding, the actor took to Twitter to post a photo of him and Genelia, with the caption, "MR & MRS DESHMUKH".

The wedding capped three days of festivities that included sangeet, haldi, mehndi ceremonies and a traditional bachelorette party for Genelia. The reception will take place tomorrow at the same hotel.

Riteish and Genelia have been seeing each other since their Bollywood debut, 'Tujhe Meri Kasam' in 2003 but they chose to be secretive about it. They finally opened up about their relationship last year.

The couple will be seen romancing in their forthcoming film 'Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya' that will hit the theatres on February 24.

Lata Mangeshkar is not dead!

Yes, we know tweets have been doing the rounds that legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar has breathed her last, but let us assure you that is not so. Don’t believe us? Here’s the proof: “Namaskar. Pls don’t believe any rumours which are doing the rounds about my health & well-being. All is well, by the Grace of God,” Lata tweeted last night. She followed it up with another tweet this morning (February 3), “Sharing some thoughts which i read with my Twitter family: If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude Remember, we all stumble, everyone of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand,” she posted. With Lata having celebrated her 82nd birthday last year, her fans have been worried about her health for quite some time now. No wonder many actually believed the tweets about her death. However, Lata was just a victim to the celebrity death hoax that occurs every few months. Even Hollywood celebs like Jackie Chan and Mick Jagger have fallen prey to such hoaxes earlier.

Sanjay, Rishi's impromptu party to celebrate 'Agneepath' success

They play antagonistic villains in "Agneepath" but in real life, Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor have discovered a new warmth and friendship that goes beyond the success of a collaborative film. 

The last film they had done together was "Sahibaan" 18 years ago. Now while working together in "Agneepath", the two actors seem to have discovered a mutual fund of fondness.

Sanjay's new friendship was evident when on Saturday night he simply walked into Rishi and Neetu Kapoor's Pali Hill residence with his wife Maanyata with a bottle of wine to celebrate their mutual success in "Agneepath".

When we contacted Rishi to confirm the impromptu party, he said: "On Saturday night Dalip Tahil who loved me in 'Agneepath' came home. A few of my friends were already here. And lo and behold! In walks Sanju and Maanyata for an impromptu celebration. It was very sweet of him. We were two villains rejoicing our villainy together."

The on-the-spot party went on till the wee hours of Sunday morning with some of Rishi's close friends joining in. At some point during the evening Ranbir also joined his dad and Sanjay.

The Dutts left only after extending an invitation to the Kapoors to join the Dutts at a party on Sunday evening.

Incidentally, Saturday night also saw Hrithik Roshan, who plays the male lead in the new version of "Agneepath", hosting a party to celebrate the success of the action drama, which has been directed by Karan Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar.

Agneepath Creates History with 25 Cr First Day Collections

Agneepath… Agneepath… Agneepath!! That is what the world is talking about. From record breaking theatrical trailer views on the official Dharma productions You Tube channel to the record breaking views for Chikni Chameli music video, Agneepath has been breaking all the viewership records.

Now Agneepath has broken records of all movies in terms of opening day revenue. With a Republic Day release and a heavy weight star cast, this movie has surpassed all expectations. The movie has crossed the expected numbers not by a satisfactory margin but an over whelming number.

The previous record of 20.6 Cr opening day collections has been broken by an excess of 4.5 Cr. The mega starrer has exploded over the box office with a whopping 25 Crores opening day collection. We will wait and watch which movie can break this huge record.

Agneepath Rocks

Mumbai, Jan. 27: When Karan Johar decided to remake Agneepath, he declared that his prime objective was to give the cult classic of 1990 the box office “recognition” it deserves.

If first day collection of a film is any indication of public response and approval, Karan Johar has every reason to celebrate his latest release — Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra-starrerAgneepath.

The new version of Agneepath has set a new record of first-day collection in Patna. Compared to Salman Khan’s Bodyguard and Shah Rukh Khan’s Don 2, which were the top grossers of 2011, Agneepath has taken a massive lead of at least Rs 4 lakh on the first day of its release.

While the first-day collection of Bodyguard, Ra.One and Don 2 were Rs 7,87,500, Rs 3,69,340 and Rs 6,87,000 respectively, Agneepath collected Rs 11,87,500 on Republic Day, its release date.

Even across India, the film has earned Rs 25 crore, the biggest single day collection of any film released in the country. The performances of Hrithik Roshan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena and Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala are being appreciated by audience and film critics alike.

Former chairman of Bihar Sangeet Natak Academy and film critic Shankar Prasad said: “The location of the Mandwa village on the seafront is truly fantastic. Sanjay Dutt’s performance as Kancha is brilliant. His get-up and his walking style are similar to his earlier film Vaastav. He looks villainous. His black dress and bald look add to his fearsome character, not to forget his way of reciting the Bhagvad Gita. All these things have made the film much different from Bodyguard and Don 2.”

On the record-breaking collection, he said: “Like other trade pundits, I also had this feeling that Agneepath will surely break some record. It has all the components to become a big hit. Debut director Karan Malhotra and producer Karan Johar have given a tre-mendous film to the viewers.”

Despite the running time being long (3 hours), the film never lost its grip on the audience. Each and every dialogue was lauded by the audience. The whistles, however, were reserved for Chikni Chameli, the item number performed by Katrina Kaif, who sizzled on the screen in her Marathi mulgi avatar. “Katrina is always hot but in this film she adds to the fire of the film. The timing of the song is perfect and her dance movements are better than any other actress in Bollywood,” said Ravi Prakash, a resident of Boring Road, who watched the first show of the film at Regent theatre.

Regent is running five shows of the film while Cinepolis is running 17.

“All the shows till Monday are booked in advance. The film has got a great opening,” said Suman Kumar Sinha, owner of Regent.

He added: “I am sure this film will run for another three weeks. We did not get such a response for any other film, not even Bodyguard.”

Cinepolis manager Abhishek Ranjan is mulling increasing the number of shows. “We were planning to increase the number of shows to 25 but it does not seem possible as the film’s duration is quite long. In terms of collection, Agneepath has surpassedBodyguard and Don 2.”

The audience believes this film has changed the concept of remakes. “We always say there is no comparison between an original and a remake, but this film has changed that concept. The remake of Agneepath has set a new trend,” said Veenit Kumar, a resident of Bud- dha Colony.

Dilip Saab joins twitterati on eve of 89th birthday

MUMBAI: Just a day before thespian Dilip Kumar turns 89 on Sunday, he made his debut on Twitter.

"His twitter handle is Thedilipkumar. The constructionof his official website is underway and pages are being developed right now," said his biographer and family friend Udaya Tara Nayar.

Born on December 11, 1922 in Peshawar, Dilip Kumar joined the film industry in 1944 with Jwar Bhatta. Considered India's first method actor and an inspiration for generations of stars, Dilip Kumar ended his celluloid journey in 1998 with Qila.

"He has been the reference point for generations of actors. Where would Indian Cinema be without his heart-wrenching performances in Gunga Jamuna and Mughal-e-Azam? The wells from where we drink water were dug by this giant, called Dillip Kumar," said director Mahesh Bhatt. Bollywood has long been petitioning the Prime Minister to confer the Bharat Ratna on Dilip Kumar. "The best way to celebrate 100 years of Indian Cinema will be to bestow the Bharat Ratna on Dilip Saab. The History of Nations is the story of its people.

The narrative of free India, which is wholly and solely committed to its secular creed, is epitomized by Dilip Saab. It will be our collective failure, not only as film people but also as Indians, if we do not give this last Mughal of Indian cinema what he rightly deserves."

As he sets out on his 90th year, his friends and admirers from the industry, including 90-year-old Pran, Yash Chopra, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Mahesh Bhatt, will visit Dilip Kumar's Bandra residence on Saturday night to usher in the actor's birthday.

Earlier on his birthday, the gates of his bungalow would always remain open to everyone. "The entire day, his fans, friends and colleagues would come and wish him on his birthday as Dilip Saab would sit in the drawing room and meet everyone. Now they have made it a little formal and guests are invited in the evening."

Dilip Kumar's actress wife, Saira Banu, who has sent out all the invites, said, "I am overwhelmed by the respect and adulation my husband is receiving on his birthday from his admirers in India and all over the world. The house is overflowing with flowers that have come from Australia,Dubai, London, Germany, Turkey and Amsterdam. I pray to God to keep my husband well and happy."

Some of the film industry who were present at his residence to bring in his 89th birthday. were 90 year old veteran actor Pran, Yash Chopra, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Mahesh Bhatt and many more.

Aamir is a wonderful actor: Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan is very excited to be working with Aamir Khan too for the first time in Dhoom3. 

He says, "The icing on the cake is that I get to work with somebody like Aamir. He's a senior I have always looked up and whose work I have always admired. I always wanted to work with him but I never had the gumption to walk up to him and say that. 

Dhoom3 is not a one-sided film but about these two characters going at each other and as equal a part as you can get. Aamir is a wonderful actor and top of his game right now. I will get to learn so much from him."

Veena Malik’s dad disowns her

Veena Malik's nude magazine cover kicked up a storm with not just strong reactions in Pakistan, but the actress alleging that the nude photos were fake and suing the magazine.

But the latest salvo came from her own father, who said in an interview to a British newspaper that he was disowning her. "I have disowned her. I have severed all ties with her and I don't want her to have any share in whatever meagre assets I have until she is cleared of the controversy and pledges not to visit India again," Veena's father, Malik Mohammad Aslam, was quoted by the paper as saying.

He added that his daughter should be punished if found guilty of stripping "so that no other woman would think of doing such a thing". "I can ignore (it) if she disobeys me but I cannot tolerate anything against my country and my faith," he was quoted as saying.

This outburst by her father apparently came as a shock to Veena, who only reacted with a "no comments" stance when we tried to contact her.

However, in an earlier interview to DT, Veena had said her family was always supportive of what she did, and it was only after their permission that she said yes to "Swayamvar", which also created a controversy recently due to her nationality. "My parents have always supported me.

I agreed to do "Swayamvar" after I got their permission. Unhi ki vajah se maine yeh offer accept kiya tha. My siblings too suggested I should give it a shot. My parents and friends will come to my show. You will get to see them on the show soon," she had said. The actress also told us that she had only stayed with her parents for two years, and had been raised by her grandmother.

Dev Anand’s village has hazy memories of the star

The last time Bollywood actor Dev Anand visited his hometown was to attend the last rites of his brother in October 1971

Gharota (Gurdaspur), December 5
Not many in Gharota, where Dev Anand was born as Dharam Dev Pishori Anand on September 26, 1923, remember the legend. The village elders have but hazy memories of the actor. However, septuagenarian Sadhu Ram, who remained in touch with the film icon till a decade ago, was a picture of melancholy.

“Dev Sahib, like a falling star, has disappeared into the darkness forever,” he said, his voice quivering.

Locals said the ancestral house of the Anand family in this hamlet, 22 km from Gurdaspur, was sold for a pittance by the film icon’s father, the affluent advocate Pishori Lal, several decades ago.

The family then moved to nearby Gurdaspur where they lived on rent at the busy Amaamvara Chowk in the heart of the city. Senior Advocate Balraj Mohan, a close friends of Dev Anand’s father, said: “Dev was a reticent person. He studied at the government boys’ school near the old bus stand. His mother was a dignified and deeply religious lady. His father was a leading lawyer of Gurdaspur, whose sole endeavour in life was to provide first-grade education to his children. “I started my practice in 1968 and it was then when I first met Pishori Lal. He was fond of cigarettes and had a good command over Persian and Arabic. He was fond of reciting Urdu poetry to his sons Manmohan Anand, Chetan Anand, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand. Barring the eldest Manmohan, who became an advocate, the other three went on to make a name for themselves in tinsel town.”

Said lawyer Pushkar Nand, Dev Anand’s distant kin: “During the summer vacations, Pishori Lal would rent a small cottage owned by an Englishman (Robinson) in Dalhousie and the family would stay there.”

Dev Anand did his FSc from Government College, Dharamsala, and his graduation from Government College, Lahore, with English Honours.

The actor was very close to his mother, recalled a Gharota resident. “Once she developed TB and Dev, accompanied by a friend, would daily travel to Amritsar, 40 km away, on a bus to buy medicines for her till she finally recovered.”

Local residents said the last time Dev Anand visited Gurdaspur was to attend the last rites of Manmohan, then chairman of the Punjab Khadi Board, in October 1971. After that the actor severed all ties with his native town.

One of the actor’s best friends, 90-year-old advocate Sukhdev Aggarwal, tried to speak about him but was overcome by emotion.

PM condoles Dev Anand's death

NEW DELHI: Describing Dev Anand as a great artiste, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he was an embodiment of life long passion for acting and film-making.

Joining millions of his fans in condoling his death, he said, "Dev Anand was a great artiste who entertained generations of cinema lovers over five decades.

"He was an embodiment of long passion for acting and film-making. I join millions of his fans in mourning his death," the Prime Minister said in a statement.

Political leaders in Maharashtra paid glowing tributes to Indian cinema's legend with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan saying the country had lost an iconic film personality who gave joy to countless movie buffs.

"He will forever be remembered as Hindi cinema's evergreen hero," Chavan said in Mumbai.

"When I saw the news on TV (about his death), I was shocked. Devsaab was an idol for us in college days. He was evergreen. We all waited for his films to release. The youth had an attraction for his action and style," Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

"I got to know him later. True to his name, he always gave ‘anand” (happiness) to millions. There won't be any other Dev Anand," Deshmukh said.

“Be it “Guide”, “CID”, “Hum Dono” or “Johnny Mera Naam”, we loved all his films,” the senior Congress leader said.

Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Dev Anand's love for life and cinema would live on through his films.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the 88-year-old screen legend was a gift of God to the film industry and the country. He was active till the end and never stopped making films, Pawar said.

Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the demise of Devsaab had created a void in Indian cinema. "This is an irreparable loss," he said.

Bollywood's Legendary, Dev Anand, dies at 88

This file photo taken on September 26, 2005 shows veteran Indian actor Dev Anand at a shoot for his film "Mr. Prime Minister" on his 82nd birthday at the city's famous landmark the 'Gateway of India' in Mumbai. Bollywood romantic hero and fashion icon Dev Anand has died aged 88, media reported on December 3, 2011, prompting a flood of tributes from across India's Hindi-language cinema industry.

MUMBAI — Bollywood romantic hero and fashion icon Dev Anand has died aged 88, prompting a flood of tributes Sunday from across India's Hindi-language cinema industry.

The Press Trust of India news agency said in a report from London that Anand, who with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar reigned supreme in the golden age of Bollywood, died of a heart attack in the British capital on Saturday.

He had been in the city for a medical check-up and had been in poor health for the last few days, the agency said, quoting anonymous family sources.

Often compared to the U.S. actor Gregory Peck because of his matinee idol looks, "Debonair Dev" was best known for his boundless energy and passion for film. He starred in more than 100 movies.

He made his debut in "Hum Ek Hain" (We Are One) alongside his friend Guru Dutt in 1946, and was still working well into old age, starring in "Chargesheet" — made by his own production company — this year.

"I cannot live without my films, my cinema and my work," he told bollywoodhungama.com in 2007.

"For me, until I die, movie-making and acting will always be my first and last love."

Current stars from Amitabh Bachchan and Anupam Kher to Shabana Azmi and Shah Rukh Khan mourned Anand's passing on the micro-blogging site Twitter, praising his youthful optimism and joie de vivre.

Kher said he was "kind, passionate, courageous, forthright, charming, encouraging, contemporary, always a leader and a great human. Will miss him".

The writer Salman Rushdie wrote: "RIP Dev Anand. I grew up watching your films. Sorry to say goodbye."

Dev Anand was born on September 26, 1923 in Gurdaspur in the Punjab area of British-ruled India that is now part of modern-day Pakistan, and was educated in Lahore.

He came to India's film and entertainment capital Bombay (now Mumbai) to forge an acting career and soon found roles at the famous Bombay Talkies and Filmistan studios.

His fame reached its height through films like "Munimji" (Accountant, 1955), "C.I.D." (1956), "Kalapani" (Black Water, 1958), "Love Marriage" (1959), "Kala Bazaar" (Black Market, 1960), "Hum Dono" (Both of Us, 1961) and "Guide" (1966).

"Hum Dono" was re-released in colour earlier this year.

Anand's films frequently tackled contemporary issues in a way that was then pioneering but has since become commonplace. Off-screen, he was also politically active.

In the mid-1970s, he headed a group of celebrities who opposed then prime minister Indira Gandhi's emergency rule, and briefly launched his own political party.

Anand was seen as a style icon, never without his trademark scarf or the latest fashions. His romantic conquests were catalogued in purple prose in his autobiography, "Romancing With Life".

He helped launch the careers of young actresses like Zeenat Aman, who starred in "Hare Raama Hare Krishna" — his critique of the hippie movement — and Mumtaz, who appeared in "Tere Mere Sapne" (Our Dreams), both in 1971.

Another was Tina Munim, who starred in Anand's last recognized hit "Des Pardes" (Home and Away) in 1978 and later married the industrialist Anil Ambani.

Anand had a supreme self-confidence and energy that drove his many acting, producing and directing projects, believing he had a unique creativity and vision to share.

Anand, who received India's third-highest civilian honour in 2001 and earned a string of film industry awards, married the actress Kalpana Kartik (real name Mona Singha) in 1954. They had two children, a son and a daughter.

His brothers, Chetan and Vijay, were both film directors. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, was the mother of Shekhar Kapur, the Oscar-nominated director of "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age".

Dev Anand death: Bollywood plunges into mourning

Dev Anand was 88 when he succumbed to a massive cardiac arrest in a London hospital. Ever since the news of his demise broke out, the refrain across his fans and well-wishers was a line from his song from "Hun Dono", "Abhi na jao chodkar ke dil abhi bhara nahin".

On his micro blogging site, Anupam Kherwrote: "Dev Saab was Kind, -Passionate, Courageous, Forthright, Charming, Encouraging, Contemporary, Always a leader and a Great Human. Will Miss him. So as a Tribute to Dev Saab let's only humm his Songs today. Songs which became such an integral part of our lives. Ahbi na jao chodkar...." When Amitabh Bachchan first tweeted about Dev saab, he was still praying that the news wasn't true. "Just reading news about Dev Saheb .. praying it is not true ! He was such a positive person .. never associated death with him... Had just met Dev Saheb at his premiere recently .. he was weak but full of spirit ..the news papers confirming his passing away ..sad. An era has come to an end .. Dev Anand leaves a void never perhaps to be filled again .. his never give up belief, his joy of life!"

Shabana Azmi, who also reminisced about director Manish Acharya who passed a year ago, wrote: "Dev Saheb robustly lived life on his own terms.he will be missed by millions but will live on thru his movies.I salute his spirit."

Mahesh Bhatt saluted the memory of the star "left us with the glow of his smile". "As the new dawn breaks over Mumbai I salute the memory of this star who has left left us with the glow of his smile," he wrote.

It took a while for the news to sink in for Madhur Bhandarkar even as he wrote: "Shocked to the core, a painful loss, a personal grief, cant believe DEVSAAB is no more ! Still the news is not sinking in,had celebrated his birthday with him,Devsaab was full of energy and life then,just cant believe !"

Director Kunal Kohli, on his part, wrote: "RIP Dev Anand. His spirit, energy, love for life and cinema will live on through his films. Love you Dev Saab."

Abhishek Bachchan was equally shocked. Wrote the actor, "Never believed I would ever wake up to this news. Very sad! Shocked to read of the passing of Dev Saab. Such a great man and actor. A symbol of positivity." Actor Divya Dutta has vivid memories of her last meeting of the legend at the premiere of his movie. "T last I met devsaab was at his premiere,sitting nxt to him, n seeing his smiling face,full of zest energy n ethusiasm..memories! Main zindagi ka sath nibhata chala gayam..RIP devsaab! Knowing u wrkin wt u is cherished!my evergreen hero!will miss u sir!" she wrote.

Shah Rukh Khan said in his tweet, "Dev sahib's sad demise makes me feel that the film industry is incomplete & has lost its magical energy. May Allah bless his soul."

Arjun Rampal tweeted, "Woke up to the saddest news and an emptiness in the heart, Dev Saab the man who lived every moment to the fullest with greatest energy. RIP."

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh said: "Just got the sad news that Dev Anand sahab passed away. I've always been a huge fan of his. And grown up watching his dynamic films. RIP." India's music fraternity was equally shocked with the news. The legend who left behind countless film hits will be dearly missed, said Shreya Ghosal. "Dev saab's films being talked abt on d news. What legacy of great films n music! He indeed was a man of excellence and passion for cinema," the singer wrote.

Composer Ehsaan Noorani, on his part, said, "Another jewel begins his skyward journey ...... Dev Saab alvidaa." Sophie Choudry, on her part, wrote: "Can't believe Dev saab is no more? A real institution,dreamer,believer & the grtest romantic because he LOVED life. A truly sad say. RIP sir."

Poonam Pandey too paid her respect to the evergreen star by writing: "Life is like a poker game; it's not what you're given, it's how you use it.- The Gr8 Gambler - "RIP Dev Anand""

The Dirty Picture - Only surface level dirty

Picture this: A sexy Scarlett Johansson (or Zuleikha Robinson if you want some Indian blood) in a Kimi Katkar biopic directed by Danny Boyle. There's meticulous attention paid to recreate the feel of Mumbai with Hindi film posters, Bollywood dance choreography, low-cut cholis etc., but... all the speaking parts and even some of the songs are in English. Except for one. Say ‘Chamma Chamma'!

Think that would make for a credible biopic set in the Eighties? Yes, Milan Luthria may not be our Danny Boyle. ButThe Dirty Picture is just as out of place in Madras as that Scarlett film in Mumbai. All the posters and a lot of the production design are in Tamil, but the songs and speaking parts are in Hindi. The only Tamil song used is the jingle-savvy ‘Nakku Mukka', which is anything but representative of the Eighties. And this fish-out-of-water feel of this biopic considerably waters down the impact. We are never able to take this film seriously beyond what the title promises. A dirty picture. That too, almost.

Vidya Balan performs with an attitude that Scarlett may never be capable of. This is the single-most boldest performance by a woman in the history of Indian cinema not because of the reels of cleavage, in almost every frame in fact, but because of the large frame she flaunts and carries off on screen in an age where heroines are called fat if they cannot maintain a size zero figure. Vidya apparently put on 12 kilos for this film and they all show. It needs some amount of guts and sass to pull it off and she sizzles in this role tailor-made to show off her acting chops.

Like she says, “Films run only because of one reason: Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. And I am entertainment,” this is a film that will truly run because Vidya Balan is entertainment. She wears slutty clothes, makes dirty noises, pouts out horny faces, dances with thunder thighs and delivers some great old-fashioned dialoguebaazi, speaking mostly in punch-lines. She makes it impossible for you to take your eyes off the screen even when things get predictable in the latter part of the film.

sass and sizzle The Dirty Picture

The makers (Milan Luthria and writer Rajat Arora) seem a little too afraid to get into the darker aspects of the tragic life of a star like Silk and most of the sadness is limited to showing the dark circles under her eyes. Even when her life is spiralling down, the film wants to go away from the tragedy and show you a love song. Clearly, they don't want to depress you because depressing films don't do well at the box office.

However, The Dirty Picture makes up for lack of depth with spirit and attitude.

It is commendable that there's no attempt to make a dirty picture look too clean or classy. Milan stays loyal to the genre and makes sure the frontbenchers get all the titillation. This is about bringing the subaltern into the mainstream and giving that genre and the women fronting that cinema their due. And that grand statement of the film comes a tad too early — at the halfway point. When Silk goes to pick up her award and calls the film industry's bluff. “I am your dirty little secret,” she says.

She truly believes that what she does is ahead of her time and would one day be seen as a revolution against the male-driven film business.

For all that talk of feminism, the film regresses a little towards the latter part when it strays into Madhur Bhandarkar territory when a broke heroine of dirty films has to resort to porn to save her house. And with that one scene, by depicting pornography as an evil compromise she must do, The Dirty Picture draws its moral line between the mainstream and the subaltern. All the good work is undone because we are told dirty pictures are OK for a woman of spirit, but soft-porn... No, too low? Talk about hypocrisy.

If this film proves anything at all, it is this. We haven't lost our appetite for dirty pictures. We are a country of voyeurs. And poor Silk Smitha continues to be exploited even after her death.

For, barring her screen name, this picture has nothing to do with her story.

The Dirty Picture

Genre: Drama

Director: Milan Luthria

Cast: Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah

Storyline: Small town girl runs away from home to become a star of dirty pictures

Bottomline: A fantastic Vidya Balan fronts this entertaining, titillating romp that delivers one tight slap on the face of hypocrisy of showbiz... but does little else.