Vidya Balan

By Jilawatan

There are two films being made on heroines and their lives. One is The Dirty Picture which has Vidya Balan in the lead and the other is Heroine that stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead role.

While Vidya essays a Silk Smitha-type character in Milan Luthria’s film, the second sees Ash playing the role of a superstar whose career is fading away in the Madhur Bhandarkar directed flick.

Now both directors have stepped up their pace to ensure that their project goes on the floor as soon as possible. Madhur wants to release the film after Ra.One while Milan is working with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn.

By Jilawatan

Come August and Hyderabad will be the destination of one of the most controversial and ‘dirty’ movie shootings of the year.

Major portions of “Dirty Picture,” a film loosely based on Southern siren, Silk Smitha’s life will be shot in Film City and Jubilee Hills area. Hyderabad Times caught up with director Milan Luthria of “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai” fame, who was on a location scout in the city. “It’s natural that we shoot portions of the film here in Hyderabad, to capture the flavor of the South,” says the director.

Controversies galore: Silk Smitha’s life on celluloid could ruffle a lot of feathers, considering she was involved with bigwigs from Tollywood. “We are not making the film for controversies. Our movie explores how she became one of the most powerful women at a time when men ruled the roost,” explains Milan. Earlier, Silk Smitha’s boyfriend and filmmaker, Vinu Chakravarthy, lashed out at producer Ekta Kapoor for not taking his consent before making the film. “It’s ridiculous. We are just using her as a parameter to make a film on women of that era,” says Milan. The choice of Vidya Balan to play Smitha on screen too was criticized by Vinu. “Vidya is a fine actress. She has an innocent face, yet there is this underlining sexuality about her that no one else has. It fits the role. She was sexuality personified in her sarees in “Ishqiya,” he reasons.

The men in her life: With Nasseruddin Shah, Tushar Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi playing the three men in Vidya’s on screen life, one can’t help but probe who in particular are the characters based on. “No one as such. Our writer Rajat has written the characters in such a way that it does not represent anyone living or dead,” treads the director carefully. But with a movie based on a Southern siren’s life, how come none of the actors from the South are involved in the project? “Well, it was a conscious decision. If one actor brings in the Southern accent, then we would have to take all the actors from here itself,” says the director, who is now gearing up to shoot with Akshay Kumar for the sequel of last year’s hit, “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai.”

“We wanted to take the story forward to the time when Shoaib already became a dreaded don. We decided to replace Emraan with Akshay, as the latter’s seriousness and larger-than-life persona on screen suits the character,” says the director.

Friends in the city: Milan has many Tollywood connections. “I assisted Mahesh Bhatt during “Criminal” and I’ve been friends with Nagarjuna since. Same with Chiranjeevi, who did “Gentleman.” How come he never cast them in his movies? “By the time I started making movies, they stopped doing Hindi films. But I’ve heard good things about their sons, Naga Chaitanya and Ram Charan Tej. The next time I’m in town, I’ll drop in and say hi to my old friends,” says Milan.

By Jilawatan

Bollywood Gossip: Vidya Balan will represent Indian sensuality at its best in ‘A Dirty Picture’ where she will revive the sex-appeal of Silk Smitha.

Vidya Balan’s role in director Milan Luthria’s film ‘Dirty Picture’ gets dirtier. This is going to be the boldest flick she has ever done and will get the boldest makeover she could ever imagine.

Vidya Balan will be seen in various sexy outfits like hot pants, low necklines, translucent tube tops and petticoats. This is just a trailer. Vidya also has to put on weight to look chubby and curvier for the latter part of her role. She will be required to bare her mid-riff, thighs and cleavage.

As per reports, Vidya Balan has told the director that all her outfits need to reach at least 30 days before she starts shooting, so that she can try and get comfortable in them. Ekta Kapoor’s production Dirty Picture will recreate the the magic that was created by Silk Smitha, the voluptuous South siren in the 80s and 90s.

Director Milan Luthria was not surprised by Vidya’s demand. He states very clearly that Vidya needs to get a lot bolder in expressing her sexuality in the role.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan doesn’t want to take chances with The Dirty Picture. Director Milan Luthria created a separate space in his office to help Naseeruddin Shah and her prepare for their characters and rehearse their scenes together.

News is that the area has been kept out-of-bounds for everyone on Vidya’s behest. Luthria admits, “She told me she isn’t comfortable with people walking in and out of the place, and couldn’t concentrate on her work. She asked if I could keep the space out-of-bounds for others, and I agreed.”

The rehearsals have been on for three weeks now and will continue for at least two more. The special room’s door has a ‘Do Not Disturb’ tag too with an attendant from Luthria’s production team guarding it. “No one is allowed inside it. Sometimes, I peep into the room, but generally avoid going in since they get paranoid,” says the director.

Vidya and Naseer have been working to get comfortable with each other, especially for their intimate scenes. They are also checking out their make-up, hairdos and costumes, and going through details of their photo shoots and prosthetics. “We’re not sure if we’ll eventually use prosthetics in the film. They are also trying South Indian-styled choreography. I can just tell you it won’t be a spoof,” says Luthria.

Vidya is also ‘a bit anxious’ about getting into the glamorous Silk Smitha’s shoes in the film produced by Ekta Kapoor. Apparently, the costumes, comprising hot pants, low necks and petticoats, freaked her out.
Eventually, she’s taken a couple of sets of clothes from the film’s wardrobe home to get comfortable. Luthria is all praises: “Vidya is positive about it. She heavily relies on her directors to guide her through her characters, which helps the project a lot.”

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan, who starred with Naseeruddin Shah in Ishqiya, will soon share screen-space with the actor in Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture.

The shooting of the film is slated to begin this month but Vidya, who is a little nervous about her dancing skills, has already started rehearsing with Naseer and the choreographer at Milan’s office in Mumbai.

Besides Dirty Picture, Vidya will also be seen in a different avatar in Santosh Sivan’s highly-anticipated Urumi and will have cameos in Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maaro Dum and Anees Bazmee’s Thank You.

Apart from her contemporaries who can’t stop raving about her, it seems like the talented artiste has found a new fan in Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman. When the actress, who recently met Hugh at FICCI, and also collected the Best Actress Award for Ishqiya from him, asked him whether he would like to be paired opposite her in Ishqiya 2, Hugh answered in the affirmative! Way to go, Vidya!

Amitabh Bachchan , who is presently shooting in Mumbai for Bbuddah-Hoga Tera Baap —his home production— took time out from his busy schedule to cheer for Team India in the ICC World Cup finals without actually watching the match.

A superstitious Big B believed that every time he had switched on the television to check the score during the previous matches, India had lost a wicket! So, this time around, he chose to sit in another room and asked his son Abhishek to constantly update him about the score.

By Jilawatan

While Vidya Balan definitely knew that she had to go extra glam to play Silk Smitha in Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture produced by Ekta Kapoor, Balan sort of freaked out when she saw the sketches of what she needs to wear for the portrayal.

Hot pants, low necks and petticoats (without the saree that Vidya is so fond of) got a bit too hot to handle for the lady. Also, she would have to wear these outrageous outfits after she gains some extra kilos on her thighs and other areas that the role requires, which left the actress gob smacked.

A little shaken with the initial sketches, Vidya Balan has told Luthria that all her outfits need to reach at least 30 days before she starts shooting, so that she can try and get comfortable in them.

Fashion designer Niharika Khan, who is in charge of Vidya’s outfits in Dirty Picture, has pulled out all stops to comply with Balan’s order.

The designer confirmed, “I am working as fast a I can. There is bound to be a lot of skin show where her legs and stomach will be bare.

The role has a graph where initially she will be wearing her usual clothes, later she becomes a star and then the downfall. So it’s an array of costumes I am preparing covering all three phases.”

When asked about Sabyasachi not designing for Vidya in the film, she added, “Well, Milan wanted me in the film. So, I can’t comment on that.”

Confirming this, Ekta said, “Well, there are two sizes that Vidya will be seen in. One is the thinner one, the other one is where she will have to put on weight.”

When contacted, Luthria said, “Vidya Balan needs to get bolder in her performance and physicality. Bolder in body and in mind.

This is not kid stuff we are doing. My film takes a naked look at all we’ve been whispering about.”

“When Vidya asked me for the clothes, earlier than usual, I really wasn’t surprised. My job is to ease her into the character. And this is just step one,” added Luthria.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan needs to become more comfortable in her own skin on screen, according to the director of her upcoming film Dirty Picture.

The actress is known for her love of more traditional roles in films such as the crime drama Ishqiya.

According to the Mumbai Mirror, she was shocked when she received her wardrobe for the film, which turned out to be full of skimpy outfits.

Helmer Milan Luthria told the paper: “Vidya Balan needs to get bolder in her performance and physicality. Bolder in body and in mind.

“This is not kid stuff we are doing. My film takes a naked look at all we’ve been whispering about.”

Dirty Picture will see Balan playing the tragic South Indian actress Silk Smitha, who was famous for her “sensual” dances.

It was reported last month she planned to sue over doctored pictures of her in a bikini posing on a fake Maxim cover.

By Jilawatan

She took people back to the black and white era with her role in the period film “Parineeta”. Then came her fashion faux pas and a dip in the career graph. But a careful and confident Vidya Balan is on the rise again in Bollywood.

Though at 33 she is just six years old in the Hindi movie industry, her oeuvre is so impressive that there was a Vidya Balan retrospective at the Indian film fest in two Australian cities.

From playing a foul mouthed, manipulative vengeful woman in ” Ishqiya” to the mother of a progeria patient to a grieving sister in ” No One Killed Jessica”, Vidya has been proving her versatility with her nuanced handling of different characters.

Her much-talked-about forthcoming releases – director Milan Luthria’s “The Dirty Picture”, based on the life of Silk Smitha, south Indian cinema’s sex symbol, and Sujoy Ghosh’s thriller “Kahani” in which she plays a six-month pregnant woman – are expected to take her creativity to another level.

Applauding her work and choice of roles, director Sudhir Mishra said: “She is very brave and very gutsy. Hats off to Vidya. She will last longer. It will pay her off very well. She will be remembered as another kind of actress and remembered more than a lot of people. She should continue doing this kind of roles. She should do what she can do well. She should retain that uniqueness.”

Director Anurag Kashyap feels what Vidya is doing is pathbreaking. “I think she is showing the way for everyone else. Vidya’s fan following has increased 50-fold after the kind of work she started doing. We need her,” he added.

This Iyer girl from Palakkad in Kerala grew up in Mumbai. She did her graduation in sociology from St. Xavier’s College.

After award-winning debut with the period drama “Parineeta” (2005), she charmed her fans in a modern avatar in “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”. Her small but impressive role in ” Guru” too earned her accolades.

But after a meteoric rise to fame, her career took a dip post “Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love” and it seemed as if lady luck had deserted her completely. She was in the news for all the wrong reasons — from her choice of roles to co-stars to her looks in movies like “Heyy Babyy” and “Kismet Konnection” — she was criticised for everything.

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who essays the role of Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture, says that portraying the southern seductress will not be a difficult job for her.

“I don’t think it is difficult to portray a real-life character like Silk Smitha. People know her through her work,

However, the actress said it would be challenging to portray characters of prominent personalities.

“It would be challenging if I play a character based on Indira Gandhi as people know her mannerisms and you can’t go wrong for a person of this stature who was a Prime Minister. She continues to be a prominent person. Even in that case to play Amitabh Bachchan would be challenging,” she said.

“With Silk Smitha it is going to be more of my personal interpretation than her impersonation,” she added.

Portraying real-life characters is not a new thing for the Ishiqiya girl, who played Sabrina Lal in her previous film No One Killed Jessica.

In Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture, a biopic based on the life and death of Silk Smitha, Vidya would be seen in a complete different avatar, alongside Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah.

The film is an ode to the life of the southern sexy siren Vijaylakshmi, better known as Silk Smitha, and her journey to stardom followed by her sudden demise, the actress said.

Vijaylakshmi reached iconic status as a sex symbol in Tamil cinema. Appearing in over 200 films, the young actor was neck deep in controversies and eventually died at the age of 33. It is suspected that she committed suicide.

“On my part I would do research on her. I have seen her songs and films on south Indian channels. She spelt sex,” the 33-year-old Vidya said.

Shooting for the film begins next month.

Vidya, who went de-glam wearing loose and ill-fitting shirts in No One Killed Jessica, would now be seen in an alluring avatar in The Dirty Picture.

However, the actress says she is least bothered about being glamorous or non-glamorous.

“I don’t see or define a role as glamorous and non-glamorous. I am getting to play a completely different person and that is what is exciting for me. Glamorous and non-glamorous does not matter to me. The script is the queen. I feel even the saree is extremely glamorous and sexy,” she said.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan looks all set to unite with her Munnabhai co-star Sanjay Dutt for a new bag of gags. This time, she will be reprising Hema Malini’s role in the 1982 comedy, Satte Pe Satta.

The film, directed by Soham Shah, will see Dutt essay Amitabh Bachchan’s role in the original.

“It’s true. Vidya has been approached to play the role essayed by Hema Malini in Satte Pe Satta.

“Shah wanted an actress who could look mature and sexy, traditional and modern at the same time,” says a trade analyst.

Reportedly, Vidya loved the script and is keen to work out the dates for the film in her packed diary.

Shah, who made his Bollywood debut as a director in the Karan Johar-produced film Kaal in 2005, is now busy giving finishing touches to his script, said a source.

“The casting of the other characters will be announced in due time,” added the source.

The 1982 original, directed by Raj N. Sippy, was a Bollywood remake of the 1954 Hollywood musical, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.

While Vidya’s role in the new film will be along the lines of Hema Malini’s character of a no-nonsense bhabhi, director Shah plans to give her character a quirky update to match the tastes of Gen-Now.

It will also be in keeping with Vidya’s image as an actress who has been successfully playing very different characters, including a hip mom in Paa and the sultry village woman in Ishqiya.

“The heroine also had to be a girl who could match up to a senior actor like Sanjay Dutt,” said the source.

In fact, Dutt was reportedly keen that Shah cast Vidya as the heroine in the film. The original film saw Hema Malini’s character, Indu, fall in love and marry Amitabh Bachchan’s character, Ravi.

Much of the comedy in Satte Pe Satta arose from Indu’s attempts to get along with Ravi’s six brothers, who have grown up without any parental supervision.

Of late, Vidya has had a great run at the box-office. Also, after picking up almost all the popular Best Actress awards for her role in Paa last year, she seems to have become the darling of the awards circuit. She is on a winning spree for her role in Ishqiya as well.

Vidya’s upcoming kitty of films is quite an interesting mix. She plays a vengeful action heroine in Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani, said to be a remake of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture is a biopic that casts Vidya as the troubled Tamil siren, Silk Smitha.

Vidya has already created a buzz with reports saying she has put on weight to match Silk Smitha’s “thunder thighs” look that ruled in the eighties.

Her special dance number in Santosh Sivan’s upcoming Urumi has also kept her in the news, even as she continues to receive rave reviews for her role of Sabrina Lall in her latest release, No One Killed Jessica.

“It’s been a while since Vidya has done a solid comic role. She would love to play the central female character in the Satte Pe Satta remake. Of course, she has to okay the script first,” says the source.