If you go by the name and avoid the film, you are making a mistake! Usually, you might find the verdict for a film review at the end but in this case, we might as well make an exception.

The Dirty Picture is meant to be a biopic of south siren Silk Smitha and is a recreation of an era when anything and everything concerned with cinema was exaggerated and hyperbole. And people of the 80’s generation can vouch for the fact that everything crass and inane in cinema was considered uber cool, back then.

What makes The Dirty Picture work is instead of trying to rework the entire 80’s formula, director Milan Luthria ensures that the film stays true to the 80’s generation. Stick to the formula and you avoid all the mistakes. And this film follows the dictum very well.

The film kicks off with the Tamil song, Nakka Mukka from the 2008 film, Kadhalil Vizhunthen. The song is a master stroke and appears at strategic points in the narrative. Vidya plays junior artist Reshma, before film producer Silva Ganesh christens her as Silk. Naseeruddin Shah as the matinee idol Suryakant gives a picture perfect performance. Each body movement and every expression Naseeruddin packs on the screen is priceless. You cannot envision any other actor in his place. Vidya Balan as a Hindi film heroine is brash and unrepentant. For her, the ends justify the means and to rise in the industry, she unapologetically uses her sexuality with a relish that borders on insanity.

Vidya Balan, fearlessly brings to the screen which no Bollywood actress has done in recent times. She leaves no stone unturned in her portrayal of someone who enjoyed adulation like a drug addict enjoys drugs. The flamboyance, the sensuality, the gyrating hips and everything else - all these aspects of her without bordering on vulgarity lend credence to her role as Silk Smitha. Keep in mind, this film is not an out and out skin show, rather it’s the performance you should be paying attention to.

While, the tempo in the first half is racy, the second half drags you down with the usual Bollywood proceedings. Tusshar Kapoor, is the odd one out in the film and he simply fails to pack in a convincing performance in a movie, which is dominated by gutsy performances. Emraan Hashmi is good in showcasing his hatred for Vidya in the film. Once, the director decides to pander to Emraan’s hero image, the film stalls. There are also a couple of unwanted song sequences.

Fiery dialogues written by Arora have helped. The one-liners come thick and fast (so many, you lose track after a point) - some meant to amuse, others a tool to shock. The dialogues make the Dirty Picture audacious and cheeky.

Milan Luthria balances the act of making a commercial film while at the same time, staying true to the theme of the story. For most of the film, he handles it quite efficiently too, but he fails to make Silk’s downward spiral as engaging as her rise to fame.

The Dirty Picture is not a full-fledged biopic of Silk Smitha. Rather, it sketches an outline of a flesh obsessed film industry filled with unapologetic people. Whether she is cracking crass innuendos or bursting out of her tightly-fitted clothing to expose all those meticulously added calories, Vidya Balan has literally put in her soul and body to embody Silk. While, in terms of its story line, the film isn’t extraordinaire but when it comes to pomposity and spectacle, the film needs only three reasons: Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan!

With a highly entertaining first half, and a mediocre second, The Dirty Picture falls short of being a truly remarkable film and ends up as a Can Watch.